The anomalies of being Faye (Wong)

Abstract

• Building on previous research regarding popular music and the culture industries, this article examines the intersection between gender politics in Chinese societies and the musical success of Faye Wong, the reigning diva of the Hong Kong-based pop music industry. Influential among adolescents and young women, she has not only become a figure for textual identification but also a polysemic icon for cultural aspirations and feminist projects throughout Greater China. Unlike earlier female singing stars, Faye's music and public persona explicitly defy standard market practices and conventional representations of femininity. Yet, paradoxically, these unconventional qualities have contributed to her sustained success over the past 10 years. Thus, Faye's star persona operates both as a marketable commodity and as a site of significant cultural work in the realm of gender politics. Using Bourdieu's distinction between economic and cultural capital, our analysis shows how music companies enriched Faye's cultural capital as part of their promotional efforts and how she in turn exploited that very capital in unconventional ways. •