Luận văn thạc sĩ Ngôn ngữ Anh: Representation of gender and gender-related issues in streaming-era superhero TV series “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law”: A multimodal critical discourse analysis

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOIUNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIESFACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES DO NGUYEN THỊ THANH LUONG REPRESENTATION OF GENDER AND GENDER-RELATED ISSUE

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOIUNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES

DO NGUYEN THỊ THANH LUONG

REPRESENTATION OF GENDER AND GENDER-RELATED ISSUES IN

STREAMING-ERA SUPERHERO TV SERIES "SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY

AT LAW": A MULTIMODAL CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Tái trình hiện giới và các van đề về giới trong phim truyền hình phat trực

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOIUNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES

DO NGUYEN THỊ THANH LUONG

REPRESENTATION OF GENDER AND GENDER-RELATED ISSUES IN

STREAMING-ERA SUPERHERO TV SERIES "SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY

AT LAW": A MULTIMODAL CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Tái trình hiện giới và các van đề về giới trong phim truyền hình phat trực

I hereby declare that this thesis represents my own work in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts, and that it has not been

submitted, in whole or in part, in any previous application for a degree

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Hoang Thi

Hanh for her invaluable advice, guidance, and support She was always there to

guide me into the right direction whenever I needed it Her wisdom and kindness

have not only immensely encouraged me throughout this journey of academic

research, but also inspired me greatly in life

I am also grateful to Dr Huynh Anh Tuan, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate

Studies His Discourse Analysis class was a great help to me in establishing the

necessary knowledge to conduct this research, and I could not thank him enough for

the advice he gave me early on

Special thanks to MH and Choan, my former-students-turned-friends who

cheered me up over our almost-weekly drinks A long conversation with them was

always a good stress reliever

Finally, I could not have finished this thesis without the unending support

from my witty partner, who believed in me even when I had my moments of

self-doubt

To all those mentioned and those that might have slipped my mind, I thank

you, truly

Hanoi, 2024Do Nguyen Thi Thanh Luong

The portrayal of gender on television often creates and projects gender

stereotypes onto the audience These stereotypical gender images are repetitive and

slow to change, especially on superhero television Using the multimodal critical

discourse analysis (MCDA) approach, this study examines the superhero television

series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022), seeking to identify the constructed images

of men and women and gender-related issues in the series The findings reveal that

women are still subject to common gender stereotypes and prejudices while men

contribute to women's unfair treatment for fear of losing their own power, and that

societal expectations and workplace gender dynamics undervalue women and limit

their opportunities However, the series also reflects certain social changes and

attempts to improve gender equality These findings contribute to evaluating

changes in gender representation on television in general and in superhero television

in particular

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale of the study

Television is often seen as a reflection of our lives and society, incorporating

everyday issues that the audience may feel as if they are observing a miniature reality

on the small screen Whether in a drama series or commercials, classic themes on

television are concerned with common topics such as family, love, faith, relationships,

evolving into more pressing issues of politics, (in)justice, and (in)equality Gender,

along with race, is usually woven into these themes Nevertheless, topic exploration

and coverage varies, since different television programs and channels undoubtedly

have different focuses when catering to various groups of target audience How

television represents these social realities and whether television representation changes

with society constitute a fertile field for exploration

According to Stuart Hall (1997), television portrayal constructs its own reality

rather than only trying to reflect it As a form of media, television representation is

"the end result of a production process” (Krijnen & Van Bauwel, 2015, p 34) in

which contents and images are choices made by certain people, determined by

certain factors, and broadcast for certain purposes Television production as

representations of the society is where ideas and ideologies are constantly

articulated, elaborated, and transformed (Hall, 1995) Such ideologies are rampant

and hard to challenge, considering the long-standing popularity of television

Representation matters, because it can influence the audience's awareness and

perception In the case of gender as one of the common television themes, meanings

of gender are constructed, de- and re-constructed, contributing to gender discourse

Gledhill (1997, p 346) points out that the images of men and women on television

"construct, rather than reflect, gender definitions, meanings, and identities"

Frequently, these images of television characters construct and project gender

stereotypes onto the audience

Considering their significant impact, the ideologies behind television's

constructed realities need to be identified One way to do so is observing and

analyzing the verbal and visual language being used in television productions.While lacking the ideologies-producing power, the audience holds the power to

evaluate and challenge them Specifically, consuming television language critically

and understanding what is being delivered is also a form of power

One may ask: why study superheroes to unearth gender ideologies on

television? Their significance in popular culture is the first reason Even though

superheroes do not exist in reality, their pervasive influence is by no means unreal,

which is seen in various entertainment products for both children and adults It is

true that part of the global appeal is the "unreal" facet that allows writers and

producers to explore new, fictitious territories, but the superhero figures are not

simply the products of our imaginative mind They represent real-life events and

issues, one of which is gender Second, superheroes could be considered a gendered

genre that leans toward the male audience, meaning there are likely gender

stereotypes being either promoted or challenged, or both Therefore, it is worth

investigating what is being conveyed through the construction of male and female

superheroes on television

Using a multimodal critical discourse analysis approach, this study seeks to

examine the representation of gender and gender-related issues in the American

superhero television series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) The series’ main

character is Jennifer Walters, a lawyer in her 30s who has to navigate through her

personal and professional lives after she accidentally turns into the superhero She-Hulk

It is one of the few superhero television series with a female lead and among the first

Marvel Studios productions released exclusively on the streaming platform Disney+

1.2 Objectives of the study

The study aims:

- to examine the construction of genders in the television series "She-Hulk:

Attorney at Law", whether gender stereotypes are promoted or challenged

- to explore what gender-related issues are addressed through the series

characterization

These aims are formulated into two research questions as follows:

- How are genders constructed in the television series “She-Hulk: Attorneyat Law’?

- What gender-related issues are addressed through “She-Hulk: Attorney at

Law” characters?

1.3 Methods and procedures

1.3.1 Research method

The study is carried out following the multimodal critical discourse analysis

approach, using the frameworks established by Fairclough (1989) and Machin and

Mayr (2012).1.3.2 Data collection

Relevant data is collected from the episodes of the series She-Hulk: Attorney

at Law through observation and documentation Data includes texts and other

semiotic resources

1.3.3 Data analysis

Following the models introduced by Fairclough (1989) and Machin and Mayr

(2012), the data is analyzed qualitatively The analysis is done with the goal of

identifying the construction of men and women as well as gender-related issues

portrayed in the series

1.4 Scope of the study

The research aims to investigate the representation of both females and males

in the series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and expand to gender issues through those

female and male characters Data for analysis is taken from all nine episodes of the

series, with a focus on gender-related texts, mentions, and images

1.5 Significance of the study

First, the study would identify and explain how genders are constructed in

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, a popular television series As previously discussed, television

constructs reality and simultaneously shapes audience perception of it as a result It

therefore can be interpreted that the series would influence the audience's mindset of

gender, either perpetuating the existing gender ideologies or challenging them

Second, the significance lies in the fact that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is a

series produced in the streaming era of television, which means it is recent and

presumably conveys more contemporary, up-to-date ideas and approaches Studying

gender construction in this series would help to discover whether contemporary

television is producing and reproducing, repairing or transforming gender images

and issues in the modern world

Third, the study would contribute to the literature on multimodal critical

discourse analysis, and serve as a reference source for researchers and students

majoring in English linguistics and related fields This would be especially helpful

to those who are interested in critical discourse analysis of media products,

especially television

1.6 Organization of the study

The study consists of five chapters:

Chapter 1: Introduction presents the rationale, aims, significance, methodsand organization of the study

Chapter 2: Literature Review explains the relevant theories, concepts, and

reviews previous studies relevant to the issue under examination

Chapter 3: Research Methodology describes the research methods, subjects,

data collection and data analysis of the study

Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion presents the results from the data

analysis, followed by discussion

Chapter 5: Conclusion summarizes the main findings, presents the limitation

of the study and suggestions for further studies

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter is a summary and critical analysis of relevant literature for the

purpose of establishing a theoretical background for the study Reviews of previous

studies are presented alongside theories and concepts in interconnected threads

2.1 Representation

Hall (1997) explores the notion of representation and how language is used as

a system of representation According to Hall, we give meaning to people, things,

and events as we use them or bring them in our daily lives "Representation is the

production of the meaning of the concepts in our minds through language It is the

link between concepts and language which enables us to refer to either the ‘real’

world of objects, people or events, or indeed to imaginary worlds of fictional

objects, people and events" (Hall, 1997, p 17) These mental concepts can be either

concrete, material things, or the abstract and obscure ones, and together they form a

conceptual map

However, these shared conceptual maps must be translated into a common

language, which is not restricted to the writing or spoken system of a particular language,

but covers any sounds and images that can express meaning (Hall, 1997) In this way,

photography is considered a language that creates meaning through images; a song

produces meaning through its lyrics and musical notes; and language in a television

series is the combination of verbal exchanges, visual characterization, and tunes

Hall's constructionist approach to representation emphasizes that meaning

does not naturally exist in the material world, but is constructed using

representational signs People as "social actors" make the world meaningful using

conceptual systems of their own, which are usually influenced by their culture, and

hence meaning is dynamic, varying from culture to culture and over time Based on

this approach, gender is a social construct, through which society defines what it

means to be a man or a woman and what expectations are for them The images of

men and women promoted in the media in general and on television in particular are

determined by these social constructions of gender

These meanings of gender are not fixed but fluid, subject to change The same

gender images can be interpreted as sexist or progressive representation, as in the

case of the television show "Sex and the City" (Krijnen & Van Bauwel, 2015)

What is positive or negative is contested, because meanings depend on context

interpretations and negotiations (Gill, 2007) That is the reason why it is important

to consider social factors when examining what are seen as positive or negative

images of men and women How these factors change might not happen naturally,

and attempts to transform meanings are why power intervenes in discourse (Hall et

al., 2013, as cited in Krijnen & Van Bauwel, 2015)

2.2 Discourse and power

Discourse, as Fairclough (1989) explains, is socially determined language use

It is “a form of social practice,” a “social process” that is conditioned by

non-linguistic elements of the society This understanding differentiates discourse from

text, as text is a product while discourse implies “the whole process of social

interaction” with text as a part (Fairclough, 1989, p 24) A discourse can contain

both written, or spoken, and visual language, and in fact discourse in most cases is

multimodal (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006) Discourse contributes to social change,

as it is both determined by social structures and contributes to shaping and

transforming them (Fairclough, 2013)

Power exists both in and behind discourse in the form of ideologies (Fairclough,

1989) This ideological power is exercised and enacted in discourse and at the same

time shapes and influences discourse Understanding these ideologies in discourse

requires the inspection and evaluation of how meanings are constructed, by whom,

and how power intersects the process In the case of media discourse, Fairclough

(1989, p 50) considers the power relation to be rather one-sided, with the producers

wielding power on the audience through the inclusion/exclusion of events and people

as well as their representation Investigating the broader societal context that shapes

such choices and decisions allows us to see how ideologies determine something as

relevant and/or appropriate to be shown

When there are ideologically diverse discourse types co-existing, there might

be a struggle for one to become dominant over others and eventually naturalized as

“common sense” Such normalized, ideological common sense in discourse

contributes to reinforcing "unequal power relations, both directly and indirectly"

(Fairclough, 1989, p 107) One example is the "men at work, women at home"

stereotypical gender roles that stems from biological essentialism (Pinho & Gaunt,

2021) Despite being criticized as outdated, they persist due to the repetition in the

media and thus sustain the power structures that limit the two sexes from exploring

new, different roles

2.3 Femininity and masculinity

Femininity and masculinity are socially constructed gender conventions and

norms regarding the typical physical characteristics, personality traits, and behavior

of a woman or a man (Helgeson, 1994) In other words, femaleness and maleness

are not purely determined by natural biological differences, but social processes and

conventions This is why understandings of femininity and masculinity and related

concepts change across cultures and time periods (Milestone & Meyer, 2012)

Femininity and masculinity were traditionally constructed as _ bipolar

opposites, with masculinity being defined against femininity - being a man is what

being a woman is not (Gill, 2007; Milestone & Meyer, 2012) For example, Gates

(2006) describes toughness and confidence as masculine qualities in contrast with

the feminine traits of fragility and vulnerability This femininity/masculinity

distinction is strictly connected to gender roles and stereotypes Men and women are

given different tasks and subject to different codes of conduct because of their

perceived different qualities (Spence & Helmreich, 2014) Besides, certain

behaviors are deemed appropriate for one gender but not the other, and changes are

not welcomed since they would threaten the existing social norms (Diekman &

Eagly, 2000)

Two examples that demonstrate gendered role expectations are the traditional

views of anger and sexuality in men and women Women's expression of anger is

seen as violations of basic norms (Martin, 2021), pathologized and/or dismissed as a

problem with female body or mental state (Orgad & Gill, 2019) A woman's

uncontrolled anger could lead to her workplace punishment: being perceived as

having lower competence and status (Brescoll & Uhlmann, 2008) and lacking clear

judgment (Luscombe, 2015) Men's anger, meanwhile, is persuasive (Luscombe,

2015) and even rewarding (Marshburn et al., 2020) In terms of sexuality,

Baumeister and Twenge (2002) mention the double standards of sexual morality

that condemn women while permitting men This bias reflects the old perception of

female sexuality as a threat that needs suppression to protect social order

The notion of femininity/masculinity as binary oppositions has shifted following

the view of gender as a dynamic social construct Spence and Helmreich (2014) argues

that femininity and masculinity should be seen as separate values that are found in every

male and female rather than two opposite ends of a continuum It means that a woman

can be described as possessing both feminine and masculine traits, as can a man

Connell (2005) remarks that femininity and masculinity exist in different

forms Among them, the idealized standards of males and females are described as

"hegemonic masculinity" and "emphasized/hyper femininity" According to

Paechter (2006) there is no hegemonic femininity, as hegemony represents

unchallenged power while emphasized/hyperfemininity is a powerless position.Meanwhile, hegemonic masculinity asserts men's dominance over women's

subordination and the marginalization of other masculinities (Connell, 2005) In

order for men to sustain that dominant position, physical violence may arise,

together with misogynistic and homophobic behaviors This negative aspect of

hegemonic masculinity is referred to as toxic masculinity, which consequently

harms men as well as people around them (McGlashan & Mercer, 2022)

2.4 Gender in superhero productions

Superheroes are individuals with superpowers, either superhuman abilities or

advanced technologies, who use their power on a pro-social mission against

(super)villains (Coogan, 2006) The superhero genre rose in popularity in the late

30s thanks to comic books, followed by comics-based superhero movies, television

series, and video games (Darowski, 2014) Superhero franchises become more

popular in the 21st century, partly due to the rise in terrorist attacks (Anders, 2011)

and advances in special effects technology (Brown, 2016)

The images of male and female characters in the superhero genre model

extreme versions of gender ideals and reinforce society’s gender norms (Brown,

2016; De Dauw, 2021) The two authors identify how male superheroes embody the

pinnacle of masculinity and represent hegemonic masculinity through their

unlimited physical strength that signifies the ability to dominate Meanwhile, female

superheroes represent exaggerated sexual ideals Whichever power is at their

disposal, they are hyper-feminine and hypersexual, with revealing outfits and

flawless makeup even during battles In fact, the majority of superheroes are male

while female characters are rendered to supporting roles and only exist in relation to

the males as their love interests, relatives, or damsels in distress (Stuller, 2013;

Darowski, 2014; Cocca, 2016; Kac-Vergne & Assouly, 2022)

2.5 Review of previous studies

The rise of the feminist movement has generally shifted television

representations of gender towards progress; however, patterns of sexism persist

This is revealed through content analyses of television commercials in South Korea

(Kim & Lowry, 2005), Britain and Saudi Arabia (Nassif & Gunter, 2008), SouthAfrica (Luyt, 2011), the Philippines (Prieler & Centeno, 2013), and Ukraine (Kitsa

& Mudra, 2020) The findings are consistent in terms of division of labor between

genders - men mostly portrayed in occupational settings while women in the

domestic area; stereotypical gender roles - the dominant men versus the submissive

women; and gender-product associations - beauty products for women and technical

products for men It is argued that such depictions do not reflect gender role

changes in the society (Kim & Lowry, 2005; Prieler & Centeno, 2013; Kitsa &

Mudra, 2020) The portrayals of women's domestic and submissive roles are also

present on holiday television commercials in Vietnam, according to a critical

điscourse analysis by Nguyen (2016) Generally, these studies offer several valuable

insights into country-specific television representation of gender

In terms of other television contents, the findings are more varying While

Hohenstein and Thalmann (2019) suggests a “pivotal change” in 2010s television

series with stereotypes being challenged, Sink and Mastro's (2017) content analysis

admits a "complex picture" of gender representation on primetime television, with

the majority of shows featuring persistent gender stereotypes of submissive and

provocative women Elsewhere, a textual analysis of a historical series (Donstrup,

2019) and critical discourse analysis of a thriller drama series (Pafford & Matusitz,

2017) reveal more facets of gender representation: women's governing role and

female superiority through language and behavior The qualitative approaches of

these studies allow more detailed examination of the topic; however, they still

maintain a single focus on female representation, without a close look on that of

males or other gender issues These are the gaps that this study seeks to fulfill,

through a qualitative analysis into the portrayal of both genders as well as

gender-related issues woven into television characters

Research works on gender representation in superhero productions show

diverse results, but most of them also focus on representation of women only

DeMarchi (2014) points out the representation of passive female superheroes and

their de-empowering hypersexuality in Marvel Cinematic Universe movies This is

again concluded in Joffe (2019) and Ridaryanthi and Sinuyul (2021), who specify

women's limited domestic roles, their similar body type and physical appeal, and

their powerlessness that needs men's rescue While presenting similar findings,

Gablaski (2020) notes that female characters' comic history has a big impact on

their screen portrayal: the "new", comic-independent ones turning into stronger role

models, while the original comic characters are subject to more stereotypes

Interestingly, Fleming's qualitative film analysis (2015) shows society's

expectations of gender norms conformity on both genders, and the consequences in

its absence Meanwhile, Misailidou's 2019 content analysis of superhero television

10

reveals contrasting female and male images While female characters receive

positive and multi-dimensional portrayals, breaking free from gendered perceptions,

males are still captive of their masculinity

2.6 Summary of the chapter

Hall's constructionist approach to representation emphasizes the construction

of meaning through language It highlights the exercise of ideological power in

discourse when meanings are not reflections of the world as it is but based on

people's experiences, subject to changes, and dependent on contexts and

interpretations As such, representation in television contents is not immune to the

meaning-making process where ideas and ideologies are constantly embedded,

reinforced, challenged, and transformed Regarding representation of gender on

television, the ideals of femininity and masculinity are widely promoted and

manifested into stereotypes, as often seen in superhero characters Since the

superhero genre is seen as typically male-oriented, these characters are interesting

subjects for investigating the role of power in the construction of gender and its

implications

11

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research methodology utilized in this study It

includes research approach, analytical framework, data collection, and data analysis

3.1 Research approach

This study uses the approach of multimodal critical discourse analysis

Compared to quantitative approaches, this methodology allows more in-depth and

interpretative analysis of the texts and visuals, which is more suitable for the

purpose of not only describing but also explaining the underlying layers of meaning

3.1.1 Critical Discourse Analysis

Critical discourse analysis (CDA) “primarily studies the way social power

abuse, dominance and inequality are enacted, reproduced, and resisted by text and

talk in social and political context” (Van Dijk, 2001, p 352) CDA pays attention to

the interrelationship between language and power, through the reproduction of

ideologies underlying discourse The aim of CDA is to expose the ideological

power buried in texts under the normal/neutral surface of the language (Machin &

Mayr, 2012) This power is subtle and indirect, yet oftentimes legitimized (Van

Dijk, 1993) and closely linked to domination that leads to inequality and injustice

(Van Dijk, 2008) As a result, major focus areas of CDA include institutional,

political, gender, and media discourses (Wodak, 2001)

According to Fairclough & Wodak (1997, p 258), CDA is not a "dispassionate

and objective" science but "engaged and committed" as "a form of intervention in

social practice and social relationships” This could be understood as CDA not

placing importance on neutrality or subjectivity but rather its commitment to social

change, with CDA practitioners taking a clear stance (Jorgensen & Phillips, 2002) In

CDA, there is no right interpretation, as people's interpretations are influenced by

their knowledge, background, and position (Wodak & Ludwig, 1999)

3.1.2 Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis

Multimodality refers to the various ways in which meaning is made

-modalities - which are drawn together, integrated into a whole (Kress, 2012; Lemke,

12

2012; van Leeuwen, 2014; Jewitt et al., 2016) These modalities are texts and any

text-like entities (Kress, 2012) that act as meaning-generating signs, hence referred

to as semiotic resources They include images, sounds, graphics, or gestures, which

are more open to interpretation than verbal language (Machin & Mayr, 2012)

Semiotic resources are important in a discourse Kress & Van Leeuwen (2006)

consider images to have a grammar of their own: composition and color contribute

to visually realizing a discourse Kress (2012) emphasizes that each semiotic choice

- layout, color, image, font - reflects a specific decision of what something means

and how to express that meaning Therefore, the inclusion of multimodality in CDA

is necessary Van Leeuwen (2014) points out that a mono-modal approach would

not be as effective in studying unbalanced power relations in discourses, since

visual communication allows injustice and inequality to persist much longer thantexts do

3.2 Analytical frameworks

The study simultaneously applies two models for analysis: Fairclough's (1989)

and Machin and Mayr's (2012)

Fairclough's approach to CDA establishes three stages, corresponding with the

three dimensions of discourse: text, discursive practice, and social practice The first

stage, description, analyzes the vocabulary, grammar, and textual structures of a

discourse Fairclough lists ten questions as analytical tools; however, in this study,

the choices of specific questions depend on their relevance to particular texts and

for particular purposes The second stage, interpretation, explores the social context

of discourse through a combination of the text and the interpreter’s background

knowledge The third stage, explanation, examines how discourse is shaped by

social structures and altogether impacts on those structures

Since Fairclough does not suggest a framework for visual analysis, the study

also adapts Machin and Mayr's (2012) model, which is drawn mainly from

Halliday, Kress, Fairclough, Van Leeuwen, and Wodak The two models

incorporated together would be more effective to examine the combination of verbal

13

and non-verbal elements in a media product, which play complementary roles inshaping communication of messages.

Machin and Mayr propose that a multimodal analysis starts with a basic

lexical analysis before examining the use of semiotic choices for representation and

see how they work together to create meaning Regarding lexical choices, the

analysis focuses on features such as predominance of words, word connotations and

association, overlexicalization, structural oppositions In terms of visuals, the

elements include settings, attributes, and salience, which include cultural symbols,

size, color, tone, focus, foregrounding These linguistic and visual resources are

analyzed to see whether they are representing the speaker's attitude (through

quoting verbs, gaze, poses), representing people (through naming strategies,

distance, angle), or representing action (with different actions being represented in

different ways)

The study adapts concepts of gender studies into a framework for analysis To

be specific, analysis aims at different forms of femininities and masculinities, which

include hegemonic masculinity, emphasized/hyper femininity, toxic masculinity,

“conventional” versus “new” masculinity and femininity Besides, gendered

expectations in terms of anger, sexuality, gender roles, among others, will be

explored.3.3 Data description

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is an American television series produced by

Marvel Studios and released exclusively on the streaming platform Disney+ on

August 18, 2022 The series follows Jennifer Walters (Jen), a single attorney in her

30s whose life becomes complicated as she turns into the giant She-Hulk after an

accident It is one of the few superhero television series with a female lead, and is

produced based on the Marvel Comics featuring the character She-Hulk The series

is described as a legal comedy besides its superhero genre designation

The data is collected from all nine episodes of the series, each lasting 30

minutes

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3.4 Data collection procedure

Gender-related talks, mentions, and images are collected from nine episodes of

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law through observation and documentation, following these steps:

(1) Watching episodes of the series

(2) Identifying and noting down relevant semiotic sources (abbreviated as V

and numbered) in the observation sheets

(3) Retrieving the script from

https://subslikescript.com/series/She-Hulk_Attorney_at_Law-10857160

(4) Checking the accuracy of the script

(5) Identifying and highlighting relevant textual data — words, phrases, or

utterances that embody gender representation — in the script

(6) Noting down the relevant textual data and their contexts (abbreviated as as

T and numbered) in the observation sheets

3.5 Data analysis procedure

Following the frameworks by Fairclough (1989) and Machin and Mayr

(2012), the data analysis is done early in the data collection process and continues

afterwards Steps in the two frameworks are not taken separately in a sequence but

integrated to analyze both the textual and visual aspects of the discourse In the

study, qualitative analysis is used for the purpose of describing, interpreting and

explaining discourse elements, forming themes and arguments when presenting the

findings The goal of the analysis is to identify the emerging themes regarding the

portrayal of men and women and gender-related issues in the series

There are several rounds of coding to conduct a qualitative analysis process of

inductive reasoning and theorizing The raw data is organized into three groups:

representation of women, representation of men, and gender-related issues, before

further coding process takes place to analyze it in detail If patterns occur during the

description and interpretation of data, they are noted and put into social context for

further explanation Once themes are identified, they are either confirmed or

discarded through the reviewing and comparison of data; the confirmed ones are

refined and elaborated, forming the structure of analysis

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CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents the results from data analysis to answer the two research

questions introduced in the previous chapter Described here are the themes and

ideologies found, with selected supporting evidence from data analysis Some

discussion is presented simultaneously with research findings, but the overall

discussion is at the end of the chapter

4.1 Representation of women

4.1.1 Women’s value derived from relations

The main character Jen/She-Hulk is repeatedly viewed through her connection

with someone else, instead of being seen as her own person From her superhuman

identity to her personal life, the values of Jen/She-Hulk seem to be determined by

her relationships

Extract 1:

REPORTER: Can you tell us about what you saw today?

MAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah So this chick, pretty decent, turned into a

Hulk, like a chick-Hulk

REPORTER: A She-Hulk?MAN: Exactly

After Jen's first transformation in public, she is given the name "She-Hulk"

This is because her huge, green, and muscular superhuman form bears a strong

resemblance to the Hulk Indeed, she acquires power after her blood is mixed with

the Hulk's (her cousin Bruce Banner) in a car accident Ironically, this causes her

superhuman identity to be stuck as a derivative of his regardless of her wishes She

becomes known as the female version of the Hulk rather than having an opportunity

to establish her own self

Interestingly, the problem with Jen’s identity is also reflected in the styling of

the series' title (Figure 1)

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shadow that makes it stand out even more In Marvel Studios productions, the Hulk

is their He-Man, their symbol of ultra-masculinity The way “She” is slapped over

“HULK” in a more feminine style and color gives the impression that the series

itself is also a derivative from the Hulk brand.

Even if Jen does not initially enjoy the derivative name, being known as the

Hulk’s superpowered cousin is beneficial for her The relationship means she does

not need a detailed introduction to be recognized and respected

Extract 2:

NIKKI: Luke, Nikki Ramos This is the She-Hulk.

JEN: Jennifer Walters

LUKE: Never heard of you.

My client list is very exclusive because my work is

impeccable

NIKKI: Well, like I told you before, she’s gonna be one of the

Avengers

LUKE: You said she was one.

NIKKI: _ It hasn't been announced yet They're still working out the

deal, but she is The Hulk is her cousin

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Luke Jacobson, an arrogant fashion designer, is dismissive of Jen as he thinks she

is a nobody Her friend Nikki lies about Jen's superhero status and mentions her kinship

with the Hulk to win Luke's approval Luke's immediate attitude change shows thatJen's actual superpower is not as powerful as the Avengers’ (Earth’s mightiest heroes)

reputation and her well-known cousin's name The whole interaction implies that a

woman’s relationships are influential means that greatly determine her worth, with

one’s name only carrying as much weight as those of her acquaintance

Even outside the scope of Jen’s superhero life, the relationship-value

connection still exists

Extract 3:

LULU: Ohh, Jen [ ] What have you been up to?

JEN: Oh, I'm Actually, Z’m the head of a new department at

GLK&H, which is, like, one of the most prestigious law firms

in the country, and I mean, as you saw, I now have

superpowers, which is nuts

LULU: No, I didn't mean [ ] Are you dating a guy? Is there a boy

in your life?

JEN: Oh No No, no No.LULU: Oh, no! I'm sorry You'll find someone Don't feel bad.Catching up with her high school friend Lulu, Jen mentions her major career

step and her superpower Both are impressive, but apparently neither is important to

Lulu Her view on life priorities is shown when she acknowledges neither Jen's

professional leap nor her superhuman transformation, and instead jumps to her love

life Lulu's pity for Jen reaffirms a common society's belief: regardless of her

accomplishments, a woman needs a partner by her side to be "completed"

Otherwise, judgements fall upon her

As highlighted in the above references, a woman’s importance can be assessed

through her relations, the same way she is only valued as someone's daughter, wife, or

mother in real life Even if it appears useful and convenient in certain circumstances,

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this relationship-based judgment is not harmless It seems to project the idea of

women's subordination to someone else More importantly, it undermines a woman’s

personal values and achievements, and deprives her of her own recognition

4.1.2 Women’s perceived incompetence

Jen is a highly capable lawyer with dedication and strong work ethics

However, she is constantly disrespected and perceived as lacking necessary,

common knowledge

Extract 4:

JEN: This woman, Titania, has trademarked my name

CHED: That's dumb Why would you let her do that?

JEN: didn't let her, Ched.

CHED: Huh You know, Jen, the way trademark works is, whoever gets

there first, gets it So if you would've done yours first, she

wouldn't have been able to do that

The conversation concerns Titania’s lawsuit against Jen, between her and her

cousin Ched He “mansplains” the trademark concept to Jen, despite her job as a

lawyer His utterance indicates how a woman can be perceived as incompetent even

when her qualifications suggest otherwise Her perceived lack of intelligence and

capability results in a need for help even in unlikely situations

Jen is also considered incompetent with her superhuman powers, as illustrated

in the conversation between her and Dennis, her colleague at the DA's office

Extract 5:

DENNIS: Neat little trick you pulled there, Walters But don’t you think

it's a little unsportsmanlike to suddenly debut superpowers

just to drum up publicity for yourself?

[ ]

DENNIS: Seriously, how did you get these powers?

JEN: 1 really don't feel like talking about it.DENNIS: Nepotism I knew it

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Even though Jen's first public appearance as She-Hulk is seen as heroic,

Dennis’ impression of the event is very negative His choice of accusatory words

"trick pulled", "debut", "publicity" implies it is a show she exploits to win the case,

a lack of honesty and sincerity on her part She is viewed not as a hero but a fame

seeker Besides, Dennis’ description of the "unsportsmanlike" move suggests his

disregard of Jen’s competence as a lawyer He thinks her win is unfairly and

unprofessionally achieved, and that she would never win under normal

circumstances Interestingly, the high-angle shot in this scene frames Dennis in a

low position looking upward, seeming to imply his jealousy and lack of confidence

In addition, Dennis’ attitude might remind the audience of the prejudice

against women's success In the superhero world, people usually gain superpower

because they are worthy, willing to sacrifice themselves to serve their nation and the

public In real life, the "power" could be a position, promotion, or an award given to

deserving people The woman sometimes is believed to not deserve it, the same way

Dennis belittles Jen's capability as a superhero He immediately concludes that her

superpower is a result of her kinship with the Hulk, a matter of pure luck and

coincidence, a privilege given rather than earned

4.1.3 Aesthetics and femininity in women’s value

Besides relationships, a woman's physical appearance is portrayed to have a

significant impact on her values This phenomenon is instantiated in the following

extracts and images

Extract 6:

HOLLIWAY: We just started a Superhuman Law Division, and I want

you, well, the She-Hulk, to be the face of it

JEN: Oh.HOLLIWAY: Uh, that means I'll expect you to be at work and in court

as the She-Hulk

Jen is offered a job at GLK&H, the most prestigious law firm on the American

east coast However, it seems that she only receives the offer because of her look:

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No one would be the better representative of a Superhuman Law Division other than

a superhuman herself Jen's impressive experience and skills as a lawyer do not

determine whether she is the desirable candidate for the position In other words,

her physical appearance is the sole factor that dictates her professional value

Look as a woman's value is again highlighted in the TV commercial by Titania

— an Internet influencer with superpower To take revenge on Jen after their

unpleasant first encounter, Titania trademarks the name She-Hulk, then releases a

beauty product line under the She-Hulk brand

Extract 7:

Strength is beauty Beauty is strength

What makes you beautiful?

She-Hulk by Titania

Be strong, be beautiful Own who you are

She-Hulk by Titania

Tam strength I am beauty Ï own who I am

She-Hulk by Titania, a luxurious new line of skin care, beauty, and wellness

products created by Titania exclusively for you

As typical TV commercials, the language is brief and simple, with strategic

repetition to convey the message "Beauty equals strength” In fact, the simple word

choice speaks volumes It causes people to wonder whether beauty is a form of

strength, or the only form, and whether beauty and strength are separable or ever

intertwined

In this context, “strength” is not limited to a physical one As a social media

influencer, Titania's true power lies in her ability to project images and ideas to her

audience and profit from that, while her enhanced physical power only plays a

complementary role Therefore, the interpretation of the message here could be:

Being beautiful makes you more influential Your words and actions carry more

weight You matter thanks to your appearance

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If the commercial content highlights the importance of beauty, the

accompanying images visually define the universal beauty standards

Figure 2

She-Hulk by Titania Advertisement

The featured model is Titania, who is tall and curvaceous Her attractive figure

is accentuated by a well-cut, luxurious-looking evening gown, full make-up and hair

styling Her physical appearance screams femininity and silently whispers to the

audience “This is beauty.” Intentionally or not, it promotes the visual definition of a

typical aesthetically pleasing woman

The color and other details are also noteworthy The background is a vivid

pink that has always been attached to femininity in popular culture (Koller, 2008)

Besides, Titania captures all attention when put at the center of the frame

surrounded by red cherries, which symbolize fertility and femininity in some

cultures The floating white petals add more softness, and on her head is a

pineapple, once the status symbol of royalty and nobility

The color choice is also employed in the title styling of episode 5, asillustrated in Figure 3 below Hulk’s trademark green is no longer visible, replaced

by different shades of the feminine pink with purple hues The neon effect and

sparkling light complete the title’s feminine look by giving it a glamorous touch

The visual transformation hints that “She-Hulk” in this episode is rebranded, both

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literally — from a superhero’s identity to a commercial brand run by an Internet

influencer — and figuratively — Hulk is no longer strictly the masculinity-charged

word but can represent femininity in a way as well

Besides, the ideals of femininity are reflected in the differences between Jen’s

appearance and that of She-Hulk As Jen transforms into a superhuman, she

becomes taller and more muscular; her curves are more well-defined; and her frizzy

curly hair turns smooth and wavy She also wears tighter clothes and heavier

makeup

Figure 4

Jen's She-Hulk Physical Transformation

It seems that the series’ producers drastically emphasize the womanly features

to balance out the Hulk’s masculinity Aesthetics aside, this CGlI-generatedtransformation is controversial With Hulk blood in her veins, Jen is undoubtedly

big and green, but other changes directly reinforce the sexy female superhero

stereotype Regardless of her power, she needs the “right” look to be truly accepted

as a superhero

The importance of beauty and femininity is also visible in the unspoken norms

of beauty maintenance and clothing style The following extracts show that men and

women are held to different standards regarding aesthetics

Extract 8:

TV HOST: Great We have to take a break When we come back,

She-Hulk shares her diet and exercise secrets

SHE-HULK: I'm sorry What?Extract 9:

REPORTER: Tell our viewers, who are you wearing today?

Extract 10:

MALLORY: If you're gonna be my client, dress like you respect

yourself, and not like a football player pleading no contest

to a DUI

A woman needs to make efforts to maintain her look, especially when she is

an influential woman While female celebrities are frequently asked about their diet,

beauty regimens, and fashion brands, such body-related topics are less common

with male celebrities A woman is also expected to dress nicely and femininely;

otherwise, she is depreciating herself and therefore cannot expect respect from

others In the case of Jen, as she struggles to find clothes that fit her giant

superhuman form, she often wears plain suits that are boxy in shape, dull in color,

without any decorative adornments That, according to her colleague Mallory,

makes Jen look like a clumsy football player, or frankly like a man

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Mallory's comment represents a mindset of how men and women should look

at the workplace Even though it is not restricted to one gender — everyone should

dress nicely at work, women are seemingly subject to higher scrutiny in this regard

Wearing the same outfit to work is one example While no one would actually pay

attention if a man dons the same suit three days in a row, a woman would be

frowned upon if she did the same

However, the feminine beauty is a double-edged sword Despite being

typically viewed as a woman's asset, it is also unfavorably assumed to accompany

superficiality The stereotype is manifested in the character Titania, who is beautiful

but obnoxious and constantly underestimated

Titania is a stark contrast to Jen Delightfully eye-catching, her appearance is a

combination of sparkling makeup and extravagant attire that adorns her beautiful

figure Whereas, Jen's appearance is as simple as possible Career-wise, Jen is a

reputable lawyer while Titania is described as an influencer

Figure 5

It could be inferred that Titania's entire career as an influencer is based on her

look as opposed to Jen's educational and professional background The audience

could immediately connect Titania with the stereotypical glamorous but superficial

influencers on social media platforms Besides, her rivalry with She-Hulk stems

merely out of jealousy, which reinforces the idea that she is a shallow person Even

Jen actively looks down on Titania, thinking that she does not deserve recognition

and her business is nothing but fraudulent activities

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