Symbolic bodies: analysis of media, cybernetics and the queer-crip patient in The Membranes

In modern society, the advancement of technology has blurred the boundaries between real and imaginary, and human and machine. The collapse of these foundational binaries generates a hyperreal state, which philosopher Jean Baudrillard defines as a reality where truth has been replaced with symbols. This article explores the influence of signs and simulacra on medical care through an analysis of The Membranes by Chi Ta-wei, a Taiwanese speculative fiction novella set in the dystopic underwater T City in the year 2100. In its culminating twist, The Membranes reveals that the life of the main character Momo—a 30-year-old transgender celebrity ‘dermal care technician’—was a simulation written by Mother. Through the lens of Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation , this article dissects how the body has been reduced to a symbol in the hyperreality of T City and explores the impact of this on Momo as a queer-crip patient; then, by analysing the ethics of Mother’s decision, this article examines considerations for caretaking in a world of simulacra. Altogether, these findings reflect the potential of speculative fiction works ‘of the universe of simulation’ as a tool for reimagining queer-crip futurity.