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Abstract
This paper examines the strategic and systematic transformation of young femininity into cultural content as national resources in the contemporary girl industries in their global–local articulation. Three aspects of girl industries are discussed. Firstly, girl idols are de-humanized and become cultural content of girl industries and girl bodies are objectified as normative commodities under corporate government mentality. Next, girl bodies are re-sexualized and their sexuality is featured as the sexuality of ambiguity in split and doubling modes of visualization. Finally, the national governance of girl bodies is examined in terms of the building up of the idol republic and the emergence of Lolita nationalism. The three interrelated aspects of commercialization, re-sexualization and nationalization suggest that girl industries are intrinsic to the strengthening of the neoliberal governmentality of girl bodies on a global scale. This reality calls for a renewed global perspective of critical feminism in order to interrogate the emerging neoliberal body politics and to propose an alternative vision against its normative governmentality in the subjectification of girl bodies.
Acknowledgements
The present research has been conducted with the help of a Research Grant from Kwangwoon University in 2010.