Help Emily give her talk at Kingston

Please help me get to Kingston, London so I can share my new research at the first Global Interdisciplinary Conference for KPOP band BTS being held at Kingston University in January 2020!


My name is Emily Marlow, I'm a PhD researcher working at the University of Sheffield where I'm completing my PhD on religion, film and video games. You may be a friend from twitter where I'm @EmilyRMarlow . 

I'm a nonbinary, queer researcher and I've spoken in the UK and the US on topics such as religion in games, sexuality in media, pop culture and film. I've been on podcasts such as Breaking The Glass Slipper, spoken at events such as London's Videobrains , and even worked on the V&A's 'Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt ' exhibition. 

So wait, you're doing what?

I've been accepted to speak at this wonderful conference  being held at Kingston University in January 2020 on the topic of...yes, you read that right, Korean boyband BTS . 

My abstract is titled "The Commodification of the Shippers’ Gaze: Hybrid Masculinity & BTS’ Festa 2019" and in it I will be discussing how minority, queer and feminine aesthetics are used to influence fans and develop new modes of masculinity, using the example of the FESTA 2019 photo series produced by the band. (You can read my full abstract further below...)

So wait, what do you need?

Sadly, the scholarship that got me through the majority of my current PhD studies has ended, meaning I no longer have access to the funding that would cover this trip. I have calculated the price of travel from Sheffield to Kingston, accommodation during the conference and the conference fees themselves, and am asking for your help to cover these costs. 

...and when do you need the money?

Ideally, as soon as possible, as I need to book my travel and pay for tickets to the conference itself. 

Can I hear the talk?

If I manage to attend the conference I will investigate ways in which I can share the talk with donors and/or the general public, whether it be a recording or a new presentation specifically for that eventuality. 

Why should I help you?

I believe my research will contribute uniquely to a wider conversation that is just starting to emerge from the fields of masculinity studies, fandom and visual culture. I would love to share this research with others as well as attend a conference that has the potential to greatly inspire myself and others. This conference is the first of its kind and I would love to be able to participate 'at the ground floor' of this topic's research. 

Also, I'll share my powerpoint with you, and damn if I don't have great powerpoint skills.

I hope you will consider donating and thank you so much for taking the time to read this! 

Full Conference Abstract:

Festa 2019 is one example in a long line of marketing campaigns that BTS have participated in that can be seen to embrace the use of Hybrid Masculinity. Similar to contemporary masculinities which focus on feminine and queer aesthetics – such as the Pan-Asian specific Soft Masculinity – Hybrid Masculinity appropriates gestures, styles and aesthetics from minority communities to actively commodify feminine/queer gazes. These masculinities, despite appearing overtly feminine or queer, and despite being able to be read as homoerotic, nevertheless continue to uphold and support hegemonic and heteronormative standards.[1] 

Festa 2019 goes one step further than aesthetics, commodifying what I will call the ‘Shippers Gaze’, actively tapping into both queer and feminine sexualities within fandom, fanfiction and fan art worlds, and potentially participating in the marketing practice of queerbaiting. Looking at fan reactions to Festa 2019’s retrospective series, in which BTS’ members’ solo works were visually represented as a series of interlinked set pieces, as well as previous music videos released by the band, this paper will explore the concept of Hybrid Masculinity and commodification, discussing how it is currently at work not just in KPop, but internationally and across multiple visual mediums.

[1] Demetrius Z. Demetriou, ‘Cornell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity: A critique’, Theory and Society, 30: pp.337-361, (2001), p. 350.