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“And now you’re a boy.” “I am today.” An analysis about representability exploring unconfirmed non-binary gender identities in films and TV shows

Hellberg, Gabriella LU (2025) GNVK22 20251
Department of Gender Studies
Abstract
Non-binary character appearances have grown in the film and TV show industry, slowly
turning its absent history into intelligible or unintelligible visibility. This qualitative research study analyzes non-binary representability in Nimona (2023) and The Umbrella Academy (2019-2024), which involves unclear and unconfirmed character identification spread by the mass media. This form of “queer-coded” representation has surfaced more in fiction, leaving identity interpretation up to the audience and the question of representability even more relevant. With the use of Queer Media and Gender Studies, this research applies multimodal critical discourse analysis on the material, with specification on dialogue and semiotics, split into the... (More)
Non-binary character appearances have grown in the film and TV show industry, slowly
turning its absent history into intelligible or unintelligible visibility. This qualitative research study analyzes non-binary representability in Nimona (2023) and The Umbrella Academy (2019-2024), which involves unclear and unconfirmed character identification spread by the mass media. This form of “queer-coded” representation has surfaced more in fiction, leaving identity interpretation up to the audience and the question of representability even more relevant. With the use of Queer Media and Gender Studies, this research applies multimodal critical discourse analysis on the material, with specification on dialogue and semiotics, split into the analysis categories embodiment, action, and lastly, emotions and narrative. Results showcase that the two fictional materials have different levels of non-binary representability,
as Nimona displays a more readable representation of the non-binary gender identity
compared to The Umbrella Academy’ s representation. This begs the question of how proper
non-binary representation should appear in fictional media, as non-binary gender identity does not consist of one particular expression and experience. Thus, the outcome of this research discusses representability’s need to find a balance within readability for audiences with genderqueer and cisgender perspectives. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Hellberg, Gabriella LU
supervisor
organization
course
GNVK22 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Non-binary, Film/Tv show, Cisnormativity, Representability
language
English
id
9206067
date added to LUP
2025-06-30 10:34:37
date last changed
2025-06-30 10:34:37
@misc{9206067,
  abstract     = {{Non-binary character appearances have grown in the film and TV show industry, slowly
turning its absent history into intelligible or unintelligible visibility. This qualitative research study analyzes non-binary representability in Nimona (2023) and The Umbrella Academy (2019-2024), which involves unclear and unconfirmed character identification spread by the mass media. This form of “queer-coded” representation has surfaced more in fiction, leaving identity interpretation up to the audience and the question of representability even more relevant. With the use of Queer Media and Gender Studies, this research applies multimodal critical discourse analysis on the material, with specification on dialogue and semiotics, split into the analysis categories embodiment, action, and lastly, emotions and narrative. Results showcase that the two fictional materials have different levels of non-binary representability,
as Nimona displays a more readable representation of the non-binary gender identity
compared to The Umbrella Academy’ s representation. This begs the question of how proper
non-binary representation should appear in fictional media, as non-binary gender identity does not consist of one particular expression and experience. Thus, the outcome of this research discusses representability’s need to find a balance within readability for audiences with genderqueer and cisgender perspectives.}},
  author       = {{Hellberg, Gabriella}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{“And now you’re a boy.” “I am today.” An analysis about representability exploring unconfirmed non-binary gender identities in films and TV shows}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}