In a heteronormative society where hegemonic masculinity prevails, beauty is often synonymous with, and presented as, feminine. For example, pictures of tall, thin women with perfect teeth and perfect skin gloss the covers of magazines and other forms of media as representative of some beauty ideal. This “ideal” is the barometer by which, on many levels, all women are judged. While some women may choose to ignore these messages, few women can always escape comparison. Our society constantly informs us that appearance matters. More specifically for women, a feminine physical appearance is often considered “ideal.” But what exactly does this construct, feminine, signify? Fundamentally, femininity is not static. To speak of it as a logical, simple construct is problematic for it means different things and is expressed in different ways in different environments. Furthermore, to assert one definition by which all others will be measured is difficult in that it presumes a homogenous population and/or idealizes one specific representation. In this research project I conducted in-depth interviews with 43 non-heterosexual women to discern how they constructed “femininity.” What did it look like? What meanings did it connote? When was it important and how was it negotiated? Applying a cognitive sociological lens and using grounded theory methods, I describe what femininity, or arguably femininities, look(s) like within this subpopulation. This project contributes to and extends the literature on gender, sexuality, and appearance. It does this by demonstrating the importance of analyzing non-heterosexual women’s experiences and understandings of femininity within a patriarchal society that valorizes hegemonic masculinity. Most literature contemplating appearance and related misogynistic messages emphasizes a heteronormative perspective. However, feminine and femininity uniquely impact non-heteronormative women. Non-heterosexual women must negotiate both misogynistic and heterosexist messages concurrently. By simultaneously addressing this “double” subordination or marginalization, this research endeavors to provide a more comprehensive overview of meanings and ramifications of appearance choices.

本研究探討小資女的微整型風潮，主要由兩大部分構成全文。第一部分是藉由台灣美容歷史的梳理，凸顯1990年代後由醫學主導的美容場域所塑造出的自然美神話。這神話使得選擇微整型實作的個人從自我認同到人際互動，多少都承載著自然美的價值去展演、觀看。透過訪談，本文進而揭示以微整型為日常保養的小資女，當她們在職場中從面試到工作與團體相處時，是如何發揮那隱而不見的「針」功夫，又如何以各種互動和對話技巧規避他人對自我外貌變化的猜疑。此外，本文也指出小資女身處在美容資訊隨處可見、選擇看似無窮的環境中，其個人決定如何在社會凝視下擺盪。應用Goffman的戲劇互動論，本文指出她們在職場上的儀式行為，尤其探問到在不同職場文化中的自我如何已經成為可以彈性形塑並要求改變的符號-物，甚至連同服裝及儀容也必須轉換為應當的儀式表達。 　　第二部分則是從自然美神話裡的矛盾元素去探究醫療細微化的科技視野下所呈現的當代生活。透過訪談，本文初步揭示女性在神話結構當中對於自然美的渴求，並且藉由微整型實作完成神話的矛盾要素。應用Baudrillard的消費社會觀，本文指出當女性在尋求差異以強調自我獨特性時，卻正相反地在迎合社會的共同性價值。此處除了小資女的自我敘述之外，本文也結合理論文獻及二手資料進階探究自然美形塑過程的三大面向，亦即物質技術、廣告消費和數位微整型。首先，我們基於物質、技術與醫師經驗等三個判準，將當前四大微整型技術劃出一條自然光譜。其次，我們從醫美診所的廣告文宣，梳理其中針對微整形技術的自然主張，了解業者的自然宣稱及消費者的自然認知。第三，我們還探討了電腦技術下的數位修圖以便凸顯出微整形的自然美意涵。從數位攝影的普及到網路平台的展演，我們在數位自拍與修圖等虛擬真實的媒介實作中探索自然美神話的疆界。 / This research comprised of two parts studies the emerging trend of cosmetic surgery practiced by young working females in Taiwan. In the first part, a short history of cosmetic practices is outlined to mark the formation of a myth of natural beauty since medical science and technology dominated the traditional field of cosmetic practices in the late 1990s. The myth makes the individual who has gone through cosmetic surgery carry the value of natural beauty while regarding one’s self-identity and performing in social interactions. Through in-depth interviews, the study shows that these young working females who have made cosmetic surgery an integral part of their daily beauty maintenance tend to exercise subtle strategies (art or kung-fu) of simulation, acting and interacting as if their beauty were all natural and real beyond suspicion at work-related situations. In addition, our study finds that personal decisions struggle constantly with the injunction of the social value (of natural beauty) as these young females are exposed to an excessive array of beauty information and surgery options. With resort to Goffman's theory of dramaturgical interaction, this study reveals some interaction rituals performed in different workplaces by these young working females. As a result, the individual self has itself become a sign-object malleable to change along with proper ways of clothing and grooming. The second part proceeds to explore contemporary living under the miniaturized purview of medical technology through the contradictory elements embodied in the myth of natural beauty. Once again drawing on in-depth interviews, the study reveals the female desire of natural beauty derived from the mythical structure, as well as their practices of cosmetic surgery which further realizes those contradictory elements in reproducing the myth. By applying Baudrillard’s theory of the consumer society, this study indicates that the more women intend to stress on their unique selves by marking out individual differences, the more they unintentionally cater to the common value of our society. In this regard, our study, apart from the self reports of interviewees, also combines theoretical discourses and secondary data to further explore the natural beauty process in its three main aspects, which might be termed as the cosmetic surgery of the material (technique), the representational (advertising) and the digital (social media). First, we delineate a spectrum of naturalism for the four major techniques of cosmetic surgery based on substance, technology and experience of the physician. Second, we examine the clinical claims and the consumer perceptions of nature shaped by advertising images and slogans circulated in the beauty industry. Third, we observe the trend of digital retouching with computer technology to sharpen the meaning of natural beauty in the practice of cosmetic surgery. From the relay of digital photography to the display of internet platform, we explore the mythical frontier of natural beauty by witnessing the digital retouching of selfies as a mediatory practice of virtual reality.

This master thesis deals with feminist literary analysis of the works of writer Michal Viewegh, specifically his two prose novels Román pro ženy and Román pro muže using a method called resistant reading with a critical gender analysis and subsequent final comparison. This thesis consists of two parts, from the theoretical - methodological, which outlines the theoretical basis for the next analytical part. The key concepts are in the first part the researches of literary critics on Michal Viewegh, theories of Judith Fetterley, Elaine Showalter and Janice A. Radway. Furthermore, there are the theoretical basis of gender, and how gender stereotypes are constructed. This section is mainly based on the theorists Blanka Knotková - Čapková, Annis Pratt, Claire M. Renzetti and Daniel J. Curran and founder of analytical psychology Carl Gustav Jung. In describing femininity and masculinity are central lines theories of Naomi Wolf, Simone de Beauvoir and Pierre Bourdieu, Michael Kimmel and Robert Bly. The analytical part is the critical uncovering of gender stereotypes and power discourse. The conclusion is made by the final critical comparison of both novels. Key words: resistant reading, literary canon, gender stereotypes, masculinity, femininity, beauty myth, male domination, power

The thesis How mothers and daughters perceive and use fashion themes in lifestyle magazines for women is aimed at generational differences when it comes to perception of media content. Specifically, it examines differences in perception of fashion phenomenon presented in lifestyle magazines for women (e.g.: ELLE and Cosmopolitan) by mothers and their daughters. Today, not only individuals, but also family relations are influenced by new media, new technologies, and new forms of media content, therefore I focused on differences in consumption of those lifestyle magazine between two generations of women within a family. The thesis first introduces some theories on social construction of reality; how fashion is presented in magazines; how women as readers perceive fashion and how this influences readers' identities as a result of magazines' consumption, and how advertising is perceived by readers. Theoretical knowledge is then researched. Qualitative research was conducted on ten pairs of respondents (mother - daughter) in the form of interviews. The results show that lifestyle magazines do not serve as a main source of information about fashion anymore. Many young women are more likely to search for information related to fashion on the Internet today. Mothers and daughters do not happen to read and...