The inferno of capitalist romantic relationships : a comparative analysis of The yuppie fantasia and My unfair lady

Abstract

This dissertation offers a comparative analysis of the film series My Yuppie Fantasia and the TV series My Unfair Lady, focusing on gender roles, capitalism, and media representations in Hong Kong from the 1980s to the 2010s. Through investigating both texts, this dissertation examines how capitalism is solely attributed to women’s oppression, emphasizing that economic growth and modernization challenge traditional norms while reinforcing capitalist structures that undervalue reproductive labor. Through the Marxist feminist approach, this dissertation contributes to a deeper understanding of how media representations reflect and shape societal behaviors and norms. It also portrays the oppression still faced by working women and thus the dual oppression faced by subordinate males within capitalist societies. Besides, the dissertation explores the crisis in masculinity and the implications of hegemonic masculinity perpetuated by media, along with considering the impact of historical events and media strategies on gender roles and mate selection criteria in Hong Kong.