Representations of masculinities in the confessional talk show : A case study of the dating show “Ban Muon Hen Ho?”

Abstract

The study field of gender issues in media has been shifting its focus to men and masculinity as a result of the latest global feminism movement. Within the context of Vietnam society and media industry, this thesis aims to examine the representations of masculinities in a confessional TV talk show “Ban Muon Hen Ho?”. The theory framework of this thesis makes use of the Representation Theory by Stuart Hall (1997), Hegemonic Masculinity by Raewyn Connell and James W. Messerschmidt (1995, 2005) as well as modern gender theories and previous studies from the interdisciplinary field of gender and media. Adopting a multi approach combining case-study research and critical discourse analysis, this thesis discusses the discourse constructed and represented around male participants and their masculinities within the area of dating and marriage. The analysis process shows that “The good guy” and “The weird guy” are two prominent patterns of masculinities that represented in the show. While BMHH? enhances the dominance of hegemonic masculinities against marginalized masculinities and women, it also highlights the challenges and changing of masculinity under effects of the confessional culture.