ABSTRACT
In Taiwan, female musicians who play Western classical music have often been considered a group with a fixed image regarding their appearance. The typical image is considered a natural, the only ‘legitimate’ appearance of the female musician. The stereotype is so firmly rooted in Taiwanese people's minds that any deviation from this will easily invite suspicion about her status. Although the stereotype is highly influential amongst female musicians, it has not been investigated, until this study. This chapter aims to disclose how the stereotype may influence female musicians in their lives and careers, and how female musicians negotiate their individuality and the mainstream image. The chapter draws on interviews with 19 female musicians. Using the interview data and Judith Butler's theory of performativity (2006), this research shows that social regulation and cultural powers are the driving forces pushing female musicians to confirm with the particular image. It also demonstrates that the female musician's representation and ‘performance’ is the site where patriarchism and the male-gaze mechanism have been continually exerted.
