Song Guoxi

Feminism, Slash, Pop Culture, Female Productivity, Gender Power Structure

My name is Song Guoxi, I come from China, and I have a great passion for manga, anime, games, and online literature. They have deeply influenced my perception of the world and society. Over time, my research has gradually expanded to encompass the field of pop culture, where I explore the social structures and ideologies reflected within.

Initially, my focus was primarily on feminism and intimate relationships, examining gender power dynamics from the perspectives of marriage and family. Now, I am merging feminism with pop culture to deconstruct it through a gender lens.

I tend to work in an interdisciplinary way and most of my works are made with a combination of mixed materials and eventually presented as installations, posters, or video. I maintain a practice of using hand drawing and handcrafting combined with multimedia technology to create my work.

In my exploration of popular culture, I am also delving into the power of femininity. I have noticed the prevalence of the portrayal of the "evil feminine" in numerous narratives within popular culture. However, I perceive this power, which is often labeled and vilified by patriarchal norms, as a sacred energy. It is this traditional representation of feminine power that I have chosen to wield as my weapon against modern patriarchal society. Consequently, my various works incorporate metaphors of witchcraft rituals, enchantments, and natural energy.

To some extent, most BL (Boys' Love) /Slash culture works, especially those from its early development, have perpetuated the narrative style of the traditional imbalanced power structure of binary genders.

BL /Slash culture, as a gradually mainstreaming popular culture genre, although not targeting the entire society, is a form of literature created and developed by specific fandom communities. However, it has started to spread and diverge into other cultural domains. It has "believers" who create and disseminate it. Therefore, BL / Slash culture has gained a certain social influence that infiltrates people's minds, especially young people, and particularly manifests in their understanding and exploration of intimate relationships.

Under the influence of BL / Slash culture's development, compared to women, young male characters have gained an additional layer of same-sex intimacy labels. Especially when their masculine qualities align with the stereotypes prevalent in BL / Slash culture, they attract more public attention and discussion.

Once a culture, a phenomenon, or an existence has acquired a certain level of social influence, it has the responsibility to be explored and judged by society. This is a relative and coexisting concept.

Revival Ritual – This work rewrites the stories of women through narrative literature filled with male characters, seeking the female identity within the Slash culture, exploring the female power within BL culture, chasing to overthrow the 'male-dominated empire's divine authority,' taking control of the initiative in creating and expressing pop culture, elucidating the crucial identities of female participants and female producers. This represents a 'modern pop culture revolution' and a rebellion against tradition.