Constructing Masculinity in Popular Malay Television Dramas: A Multimodal and Audience-Based Analysis
Abstract
Malay television dramas (TVDs) of the romantic genre are highly popular among local viewers. While gender representation of popular media is extensively studied, limited attention has been given to how masculinity in particular is constructed in Malay media especially from a multimodal approach. As such, this study addresses this gap by examining the portrayal and negotiation of masculinity in five popular Malay TVDs. A multimodal discourse analysis on the male protagonists was first conducted, taking into consideration verbal and visual resources. Thıs was then followed by a thematic analysis of audience online comments with regard to the male protagonists. Findings of the analyses reveal that most of the male protagonists analysed are constructed as authoritative and responsible figures in the early parts of their respective narratives, which are justified as a result of being juxtaposed with problematic female counterparts. As each narrative progresses, their dominance is then softened through increased emotional expressivity, making hegemonic masculinity more acceptable within romantic narratives. Furthermore, it was found that audience responses largely align with these depictions, resulting in more dominant readings of the texts. These findings suggest that masculinity in its hegemonic form is reconfigured rather than challenged in these drama texts, which in turn sustain gender hierarchies. This study contributes to research on multimodal construction of masculinity in popular media in the non-Western context and underscores the role of the audience in reinforcing gender power relations.
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