An Analysis of Female Character Images Based on Feminism to Reveal Womens Predicaments: Taking East Asian TV Dramas as Examples

As an important carrier reflecting social ideology, the portrayal of female characters in TV dramas and films still cannot break free from the patriarchal narrative logic. This paper aims to comparatively analyze three types of female images, "pseudo-independent", "dominant-controlling" and "daily awakening", in East Asian TV dramas and films from a feminist perspective, revealing the hidden social gender predicaments and ideological contradictions behind them. This study draws on Laura Mulveys Gaze Theory, Chizuko Uenos critique of the ideology of romantic love, Angela McRobbies post - feminist mystique, and Stuart Halls Encoding/Decoding Theory to conduct in - depth analyses of selected film and television drama cases. The analysis shows that the "Pseudo-Independent" female leads seemingly possess subjectivity, yet their value always needs to be confirmed by men; the "Dominant-Controlling" female leads fall into another patriarchal trap by imitating the male hegemony model to maintain power, that is, denying the possibility of the coexistence of female traits and power. Neither of them breaks away from the framework of gender binary opposition. In contrast, the "Daily Awakening" female leads show a more realistic path. The reconstruction of their subjectivity starts from the reflection on daily life and respect for self-feelings. At the same time, such characters also allow the existence of female traits and transform them into strength, rather than regarding them as weaknesses. The purpose of criticism is to recognize the root of the distortion and establish a richer narrative possibility for women that transcends gender binary opposition.