The “hot Taiwanese girl” persona: The dynamics of politics and femininity in Taiwan

Abstract

ABSTRACT Originating in social media, an unconventional gendered political persona, “hot Taiwanese girl (la tai mei),” of the incumbent President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen has become well-known in Taiwan and beyond. Drawing on frameworks of femininity in politics and political persona on social media, this study scrutinizes this persona as an empowering political tool. Using critical discourse analysis, this study examines Dwagie’s rap song, “Hot Taiwanese Girl,” where the persona was created and the media, cultural and political contexts to reveal that it was used to construct understandings about cross-strait conflicts, create a collective Taiwanese identity and win the political favor of voters in election campaigns of Tsai and the Democratic Progressive Party. While this served to subvert the stereotypes of women in politics, the power to interpret femininity remains in the masculine domain. Through the prism of the “hot Taiwanese girl,” this paper seeks to unravel the dynamics between femininity and politics, thereby exploring how the representation of femininity is contingent on the political agenda and its appeals to audiences.