Negotiating hegemonic femininity in Trump's world - the positioning of "Woman" as a political tool in media discourse

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The proposed research expands this researcher's MRes by focusing on the adaptability of hegemonic femininity - an area little explored in Language and Gender research. The concept of hegemonic masculinity was introduced by Connell (1987, p. 300) as: 'the maintenance of practices that institutionalise men's dominance over women'. However, Connell was criticised for neglecting the theorisation of femininity (Budgeon, 2014). The concept of hegemonic femininity was later defined by Schippers (2007, p. 94) as: 'the possession of characteristics defined as womanly that establish and legitimate a hierarchical and complementary relationship to hegemonic masculinity'. By this definition, those people who identify as woman(ly), and yet enact practices which challenge the patriarchal system, will be subordinated to those women who comply with the ideal of a complementary, heteronormative gender binary. However, how hegemonic femininity may adapt to the current socio-political climate has been neglected in both theory and research. This project will fill this gap by investigating the dialogic relationship between global political debate and local gender practices, which is increasingly played out through both mainstream and social media. The research will be practical, accessible and understandable by focusing on representations of femininity across the media, which is a powerful influencer of day-to-day gender practices. The research will fulfil a moral obligation of researchers to provide insights which have the potential to improve society.