Controlling the narrative, examining the self: The unruly femme subjectivity of Fleabag

Abstract

This article challenges conventions of normative femininity and popular feminism by examining the television show Fleabag (2016–2019) and the destabilizing tendencies of its unnamed protagonist (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who insistently breaks the fourth wall, implying a form of narrative agency. However, her refusal and/or inability to conform to expectations around public decency, feminine norms, and heterosexual romance also betray a lack of narrative control. The show’s unruly framing and its dysfunctional narrator open a dynamic space for explorations of “bad feminism” ( Gay, 2014 ), “fem (me)inine failure” ( Hoskin and Taylor, 2019 ), and “toxic femininity” ( McCann, 2020 ), while foregrounding a kind of femme resistance.