A Feminist Discourse Analysis of Chinese Female Stand-Up Comedians'

Abstract

The rapid development of internet technology has provided a platform for marginalized groups to voice dissent and reshape cultural narratives (Liao, 2019), particularly offering new opportunities for women to achieve self-expression in public discourse. The advent of stand-up comedy in China has led to the emergence of stand-up comedians as a prominent force within the Chinese comedy landscape. Online media has become the primary channel for the dissemination, viewing, and discussion of stand-up comedy in China (Li and Guo, 2024), especially among millennials, where the online stand-up comedy competition program Rock & Roast has garnered widespread attention (Xu and Liu, 2024). Female stand-up comedians participating in the program have garnered significant attention for addressing issues of gender inequality and discrimination in a humorous yet incisive manner (Meng and Literat, 2023). While their performances have ignited a new wave of feminist discourse on social media, they also face pressure from the general public, who are accustomed to traditional gender norms, and from censorship systems (Li and Guo, 2024; Meng and Literat, 2023; Meng, 2024; Zhang and Zhou, 2023). This reflects the tension between progressive feminist expression and deeply entrenched patriarchal structures.This study will utilize feminist critical discourse analysis (Lazar, 2007, 2014) to explore how Chinese female stand-up comedians respond to and negotiate traditional gender norms in their performances. Through a thorough examination of their comedic narratives, this study aims to uncover the specific discursive strategies these performers employ to challenge stereotypes while navigating social expectations. By analyzing the linguistic mechanisms within their scripts, the research seeks to reveal how they deconstruct patriarchal ideologies. This research will be conducted within a broader social and power framework, with the objective of examining how Chinese female stand-up comedians engage in a subtle negotiation.