Research​

​​​​​​

​

Monograph-in-Progress

Celebrity Feminism in the 21st Century: the intersections of sexuality, class, and race in popular culture

This monograph builds on my doctoral research to examine the complex relationship between celebrity culture and feminist politics in the contemporary Western context. Focusing on four hyper-visible celebrity feminists—Kristen Stewart, Emma Watson, Ariana Grande, and Zendaya—it adopts a discursive approach and semiotic analysis to interrogate how their feminist identities are mediated through intersecting dynamics of sexuality, class, and race. I argue that celebrity feminism is characterised by ambivalence and that celebrity feminists present ambiguous queer, class, and race identities while making attempts to contribute to resistance against systemic inequality and injustice and movements promoting racial justice while failing to escape from the essence of their contemporary celebrity identities – being commodified – or distancing themselves from their privileges of being (culturally) white, traditionally beautiful, and wealthy. The book further explores how digital media platforms reshape the visibility, legitimacy, and reach of feminist discourse in the West. While situated in a Western context, the book also considers the broader global implications of celebrity feminism and its digital circulation.​​