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2023/24 School of Chinese Research Student Seminar

韓流陰柔男性氣概與性別身份賦權——香港粉絲的接受研究

K-pop Soft Masculinity and its Gender Identity Empowerment: A Reception Study among Hong Kong Fans

Abstract:

伴隨著韓流男性偶像人氣急升，學術界對偶像所呈現的男性氣概的看法上仍然存有分歧。透過與香港年青粉絲的深度訪談，本研究主要探討兩個問題：這些粉絲是如何理解並被這種男性氣概所吸引？粉絲的追星參與又如何擴闊和肯定自身的性別身份？

首先，本研究在肯定粉絲理解文本時會產生能動性的基礎上，發現受訪者們在解讀他們鍾愛的韓流男性偶像所展現的魅力時，傾向於將之視為一種結合陰柔外表和性格特質的男性氣概。但是，這種接受情況亦有其限制，仍受限於大眾對陰柔男性的負面批評上。所以我創造了「韓流陰柔男性氣概」一詞，以闡述受訪者們如何理解偶像的男性氣概，即集中在較為陰柔的面向，但同時又拒絕完全女化其偶像。

其後，是次匯報的討論將引伸到受訪者所認為的「韓流陰柔男性氣概」如何促使他們了解和影響其自身的性別身份。在闡述香港傳統霸權男性氣概的背景後，本研究將會對比男女受訪者的不同賦權經驗，以及就各性別群組進行交織性分析，以先闡明當中內部因素，再審視外部因素如何影響到賦權的程度。

透過深入了解這些香港年青粉絲的故事，本研究致力於呈現另一種有別於霸權男性氣概的可能性，並且分析他們所遇到的個人和社會阻礙。

Despite the rising popularity of male K-pop idols, the scholarly research on their portrayal of various masculinities remains underexplored. This research, therefore, focuses on two central questions by conducting in-depth interviews with young Hong Kong fans: What aspects of K-pop masculinity do these fans find appealing and how do they interpret it? Moreover, how does their engagement with K-pop masculinity influence and strengthen their gender identities?

Firstly, recognizing fans’ agency to interpret texts in ways that resonate with their desires, this study reveals that the informants are primarily drawn to the innovative integration of feminine aesthetics and personas by male K-pop idols. Nonetheless, their reception is not without its caveats, often constrained by prevailing prejudices against effeminate men. Consequently, the term “K-pop Soft Masculinity” is coined to elucidate the fan-based interpretation of idol masculinity, emphasizing its gentler aspects while concurrently resisting complete feminization.

Following this, the conversation explores how the informants’ construed notions of K-pop soft masculinity allow them to navigate and inform their gender identities. Set against the backdrop of enduring traditional hegemonic masculinity in Hong Kong, the discussion initially compares the empowerment experiences of female and male informants. It then delves into the complexities of intersectionality within these gender cohorts, dissecting first the internal factors before examining the external factors that influence empowerment levels.

Through the narratives of young Hong Kong fans, this study endeavors to spotlight the emergence of alternative masculinity that diverges from hegemonic masculinity archetypes and critically assess the personal and societal impediments they encounter.