There had been an increase in public adornment towards celebrity mothers in Thai society nowadays. The Thai netizens have shown overt appreciation towards celebrity families, particularly mother figures on the new media platform. YouTube as a new media platform has garnered massive attention from the netizens in such a way that it could be said to be a domain that reflects a distinct value of the Thai society. This research examines the way in which Thai women YouTubers perform their gender “roles” differently in comparison to other media platforms (i.e., the traditional ones). The fact that these carefully selected women YouTubers receive attention from their fans speak volume about the shifts in gender modalities and sexual politics endemic in Thai society. These women YouTubers all share in common the notion of “modern women,” which is palpable and yearned for by the Thai netizens today. This research is conducted through computer assisted textual analysis and content analysis method. The conceptual tools follow Butler’s (1988; 2001) seminal notion of performativity, citationality, and resignification (Inda 2000), coupled with Connell’s (2002; 2009) fundamental ideas on structured gender order of the society and its emphasis on the tendencies for change and historical character. This research wishes to argue that contemporary women’s self-representations are increasingly tied to material possessions. Women images are widely accepted due to the changing nature sexual politics of the Thai society that enables women to succeed for individualistic gains yet remain viable in the traditional expectations.

Authors:
Porranee Singpliam, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Porranee Singpliam is a lecturer at the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University. Her research interests include feminist media studies, media studies, and queer studies.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/porranee-singpliam-891884259/

Additional website of interest
https://www.arts.chula.ac.th/balac/index.php/lecturers/porranee-singpliam/

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

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