The literature outlined above mentioned the crucial role of image in women’s musical activities. The influence of the visual image on contemporary Taiwanese female musicians is excessively prevalent. Descriptions of their appearance are commonly found in newspaper and music magazine reports and articles. A charming exterior is considered an advantage and a characteristic of female musicians that must be mentioned. In the renowned Taiwanese music magazine, Musik, for example; the term “beauty” appears frequently. In the October 2011 edition, an article entitled “Listening to the Violin Music from a Beauty – Chee-yun Kim’s visiting concert tour in Taiwan,” noted that, although music is an art form that involves listening, if the performer is good-looking, the appreciation will be increased.48 Similar views appear frequently in this magazine as well as other publications. In addition to the literal texts, the pictures also stress visual attraction, such as concert posters, and the photos accompanying the reports. On the posters, women musicians often appear shy or with exposed bodies. Whether the expressions of the women are sexy or bashful, they are all typically feminine presentations, as will be discussed further in subsequent chapters.
48 Muzik. “Tin meinu lai laqin – Chee-yun Kim fantai yinyuehui (Listen to the violin music from a beauty - Chee-yun Kim’s visiting concert tour in Taiwan),” Muzik, October 31, 2011, http://www.muzik-online.com/#!article_2_1330 (accessed January 24, 2013).
However, related study of this phenomenon is scarce in Taiwan. Hsiao’s “Female Discipline in the Male Art World: The Images Sculptured for Female Conductors” is probably the only work on this topic to date. Even though music performers in Taiwan are mostly women, conducting has usually been considered a male realm in Taiwan. Female conductors have thus been comparatively easily noticed, due to the unbalanced participation between the genders. Hsiao’s paper, however, is not a very significant contribution to the subject. As she herself admits, this paper is only a preliminary analysis, and most of the contents are not centred on the formation of the image, although its title leads one to expect this. The majority of this paper is an introduction to a few Taiwanese female conductors’ lives and learning processes. Through personal interviews and reports, Hsiao briefly discusses how these female conductors imitate the body language and clothing style of their male colleagues. She concludes that, both on the podium and in daily life, the female conductor tries to display androgynous gestures in order to establish and confirm her authenticity as a conductor.49
On the other hand, the feminine image of Taiwanese women “performers” has been prevalent and gradually become the accustomed view. In general, the image of the female performer has been broadened to most women who are engaged in Western classical music. The specific image itself, as a stereotype, needs to be scrutinized, but the related analysis or discussion has not yet appeared in the academic field or the general reviews. Hence, this study seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the formation and influence of the hegemonic image.
Although research on the image of female musicians remains scarce, there have
49 Chin-shih Hsiao, “Lun nanxing yishu zhiye zhongde nuxing guixun – yuetuan nuxing zhihui de xingxiang suzao: yi lushuling weili (Female Discipline in the the Male Art World: The Images Sculptured for Female Conductors).” in Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Difference, Identity and Hybrid, edited by Yu-ling Chao (Banqiao: National Taiwan University of Arts, 2007).
been plenty of studies on female images in Taiwan, especially women’s occupational images. The vast majority of these have focused on women in an inferior social position. These studies are aimed at making the public notice their situation or empower them at some level. Nevertheless, most of these studies are master’s theses, since there are few doctoral students in the humanities and the professors of women’s studies have diverse interests. The depth of these works may not be impressive, but their valuable output on this theme reflects the mainstream research intention and preference in Taiwan. The subsequent paragraphs will illustrate representative works in this area.
The gendered image is one of the factors shaping workplace culture and social relationships. It not merely forms the scene of the working environment, but also builds the self-identification of the workers. As Zong-jan Xie states in her thesis “Showgirls as A Marketing Strategy at Taipei World Trade Center,” on many occupations, the female image is used as a tool to invite attention.50 Considering this trait of easily being exploited, the Taiwanese studies on the relationship between women’s occupation and their image have usually centred on those women who possess fewer resources and flaunt their body to make a profit. The research on the betel nut beauty is a popular topic; the second is the showgirl promoting commodities.
The betel nut is a processed vegetable, chewed as a mild stimulant. The betel nut is promoted by young women who dressed revealing. The shops are usually located at the roadside; the glass-fronted shop allows people to view the betel nut beauty without any barriers. These betel nut beauties often wear various lingerie-style outfits.51 Their image is boldly sexual, to attract the male lookers who are the
50 Zong-jan Xie, “Jiedu taipei shimao zhanchang showgirl de juese yu yihan (Showgirls as A Marketing Strategy at Taipei World Trade Center),” (Master thesis, National Chengchi University, 2007).
51 Some photos of betel nut beauties can be found in photographer Chin-pao Chen’s webpage. At the time of writing, it was available at http://www.chinpaochen.com/betelnutgirls_c.html
potential buyers. The male consumer usually purchases the product according to the women’s clothes. The act of trade lets him get near to the beauty who wears his preferred costume. In this condition, the transparent wall creates a consuming space for male fantasy and sexuality; the female body itself is a commodity.
In the related academic discourse, Xin-nan Xiao’s “The Sign and Social Meanings of the Taiwanese Betel Nut Beauty” points out that the images of the young women are standardized, such as their body and age. Their body image becomes the most critical aspect of promoting the commodities.52 Xiao briefly discusses the variations in the beauties’ clothing, such as the difference between the north and south of Taiwan, and the various types of gauze, corsets, and short skirts. These elements are visual codes that provoke sexual desire. The female bodies are commercialized; the delicately-built image is designed for men’s sensual satisfaction in the male-gazed mechanism.53 According to Yi-zhi Su’s investigation, the business profits are directly related to how revealing the clothes are. Nonetheless, these excessively revealing costumes also concern the police, and these betel nut beauties have encountered a negative reaction from their family and the general public.54
In addition to the betel nut beauty, the showgirl displaying her body at a business fair is another popular theme. Xie notes that, now, the showgirl is an indispensable part of large-scale promotional activities. The image of young women at a trade show generates the male consumer’s interest and their function is similar to that of the betel nut beauty. In addition to the goods for purchase, women are objectified as another article for sensual consumption. How the showgirl has been presented is simple and unitary; her individuality is blurred under the male gaze at a
52 Xin-nan Xiao, “Taiwan binlan xishi de fuhao yu shehui yiyi (The Sign and Social Meanings of the Taiwanese Betel Nut Beauty),” (Master thesis, Go Guang University, 2004), 36, 37, 41.
53 Ibid., 36, 37, 45, 46, 47.
54 Yi-zhi Su, “Pianke nongzhuang yu changyu yapo: yi taoyuan county binlang xishi weili (Momentarily Heavy Make-up and Field Oppression: A Case Study of the Betel-nut Beauty in Taoyuan
fair.55
In these occupations, the presentation of the image does not merely follow the abstract mechanism of phallocentrism; it is actually for men’s looking in reality. The design and display of the revealed female body is chiefly for men’s viewing pleasure, and unsuitable for the general public. This is why the image of the betel nut beauty and the showgirl have often been questioned and criticized in the public arena. Despite the negative comments, according to Su’s interview, family members also disapprove of this type of work. Moreover, Su notes that these women are often from destitute families; the ravishing image composed of scanty clothes and heavy make-up only generates meagre wages. The requirements of age, body, and dressing style for this specific image are clear. Only young women who conform to this image can enter this occupation.
Due to the disadvantageous situation, the issues around these female images have justifiably become research concerns. Contrarily, the image of the female musician has seldom been deemed a problem to the same extent. Even though it has been considered a high-class, elegant representation, it is still a kind of stereotype or hegemony, controlling musicians in diverse aspects. The differences between these two types of image do not free the image of female musicians from the realm of the stereotype. Both of them merely obey phallo-centrism in different approaches, but both have a negative impact on women. How the image of female musicians functions awaits a proper answer, and will be one of the issues discussed in this study.
For the betel nut beauty and showgirl, what they wear applies only during their working hours. Besides, it is usually short-term work, for only young women can undertake this role. It is the low-skilled occupation, with a high requirement in terms
County),” (Master thesis, Yuan Ze University, 2007). 55 Xie, “zhanchang showgirl.”
of the body and clothing style. Being a musician, on the contrary, requires long training, and is thus often a life-long career. It cannot be directly engaged in merely due to having the “proper” look. Nonetheless, being a female musician is bound to the standardized image, which involves adopting particular clothes, a specific appearance, and even behaving in a certain way. Devotion to music is, by its nature, a professional engagement, but image has become a crucial way to appraise a female musician in Taiwan. The pressure imposed on her about her image is probably more profound than on the betel nut beauty or the showgirl, since the assumed image is tied to her general standing in society, not restricted to her work time.
Although image plays such an important role for the female musician, the related research on this field is completely lacking. Since the great majority of musicians in Taiwan are women, the image of female musicians has also partly incorporated the features of Western classical music. This study will add to the research on historical female images because even though the critical status of the image has been highlighted occasionally, a study of how image is built culturally and historically and how it exerts power over women musicians has not yet materialised. Hence, this study seeks to contribute to the understanding of how image functions in female musicians’ life and career.