ABSTRACT
Brand narratives are replete with cultural myths that draw on archetypal images and themes to stir consumers' imaginations. An archetypal anti-hero par excellence, Sherlock Holmes is arguably the world's most enduring fictional detective. Elementary, the American variant that premiered on CBS in 2012, introduces the most radical changes to the Sherlock myth with its female (Joan) Watson, played by Lucy Liu. This chapter focuses on the researchers analysis on the potential of gender bending in Elementary to reinforce or subvert gender norms—what Butler refers to as "heteronormative hegemony". The analysis reveals three key fan response categories, eliciting a nuanced range of responses to brand gender bending that build on Avery's excellent introduction to the topic. The chapter describes the benefits and drawbacks of gender bending and how they can positively, as well as negatively, contribute to reinvigorating a brand's mythology.
