Gay Male Subjectivity, Diva-Worshipping, and Post-Feminism: A Critical Discourse Analysis of How Gay Men Talk about Female Pop Icons

This study explores how several U.S. gay men, who identify as fans or worshippers of female vocalists, engage with the feminist ideologies found in pop diva culture and with the gay male stereotype of diva-worshipping. This study also considers whether their identities and related activities conform to the notions of post-feminism and female empowerment as characterized in scholarly research by examining gay men’s experiences of divas’ lyrics and personae. Previous studies have investigated how the discourses of female empowerment are formulated in divas’ song lyrics. Nevertheless, there has been little empirical literature exploring the discussions of gay men’s perceptions toward divas’ lyrics and personae. To bridge this gap, my research shifts the focus on the ideology of feminist/female empowerment from the production aspects of divas’ song lyrics and personae to the audience reception aspects using the tools of critical discourse analysis in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Interviews were recorded from 21 gay male participants who were categorized into 3 age groups – 25-34, 35-45, and 45+. The data were then transcribed and uploaded to the software MAXQDA for coding. Deploying a combination of Wodak’s critical discourse historical approach and Fairclough’s three-dimensional critical discourse analysis, with literature on gay male subjectivity, and post-feminism, data were compared with the intent to formulate conceptual themes and seek coherent patterns. The findings suggest that certain gay men deploy the discourse of diva-worshipping to move beyond a generalized fandom conversation to engage with the discussions of U.S. gender politics. For instance, while the diva-worshipping talk always addressed capitalism through gay men’s purchases of diva’s work, and their loyalty to certain divas in all three age groups, a few gay men deployed diva-worshipping to discuss the U.S. hegemonic masculinity and align themselves on the opposite side with women who are part of the oppressive lower range of the gendered hierarchy of dominance. The findings also indicated several insightful ways of how these U.S. gay men came to their novel understandings of womanhood through the diva-worshipping practice while also seeking meaningful and self-empowering ways to identify with their divas and what they represent.