Presentation Schedule
Feminist Aesthetics in Transnational Pop Music Performance: a Comparative Visual and Semiotic Analysis of Lady Gaga, Coco Lee, and G.E.M. (105183)
Session Chair: Natalie Quinn Walker
This presentation will be live-streamed via Zoom (Online Access)
Wednesday, 13 May 2026 14:45
Session: Session 3
Room: Live-Stream Room 2
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
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This paper investigates feminist aesthetics in transnational pop music through a comparative visual and semiotic analysis of Lady Gaga, Coco Lee, and G.E.M. Grounded in feminist theory and visual semiotics, the study examines how these artists construct and communicate gendered identities through performance, costuming, and visual symbolism across distinct cultural contexts. Lady Gaga’s work centres on gender performativity and the politics of bodily representation, combining theatrical excess with deliberate self‑presentation. Coco Lee’s stage aesthetics merge Western and Chinese popular conventions to convey female confidence and artistic agency within a transnational framework. At the same time, G.E.M. articulates contemporary empowerment through creative authorship and digital self‑representation. A qualitative analysis of selected music videos, live performances, and promotional imagery identifies differentiated yet intersecting strategies for negotiating femininity, sexuality, and self‑representation. By situating these performers within interconnected global and Sinophone cultural circuits, the paper provides a focused analysis of how visual aesthetics and performative practices reflect evolving modes of feminist expression in twenty‑first‑century popular music.
Authors:
Yishuai Wang, Independent Scholar, Australia
About the Presenter(s)
Yishuai Wang is a Melbourne-based performer, vocal teacher and researcher interested in gender, visual culture, and creative agency in contemporary music, currently preparing for doctoral research.
See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule
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