Hot shot: Gendered signifiers and the depiction of women in a taiwanese sport idol television drama

This article explores the depiction of female characters and the gendered signifiers that are presented in Hot Shot, a sports-themed television drama featuring a cast of popular Taiwanese idols or icons whose stories centre on basketball and the connections between sport, dreams, love and friendship. In order to understand the function and value of female characters in Hot Shot, Chatman's (1978) narrative structure was deployed as the analytical framework to deconstruct plots and settings. In addition, an adapted version of Propp's (1968) classification of the actions of characters was used. The findings revealed that the plots of Hot Shot were focused on competition, training and success, and the settings were mostly basketball courts and tournaments. Although female characters involved in these settings were associated with competition and training, they were marginalized in supportive roles. Moreover, strategies of representing women in Hot Shot, including disparagement of athletic ability to emphasize femininity and feminine body image, highlighted the female characters' subordinate roles. Finally, in relation to gender-appropriateness, stereotypes drawn from male sport were pervasive in Hot Shot, resulting in a gendered discourse permeating the text.