Reconstructing Gender Narrative: Research on the Social Value and Innovative Paths of Female Detective Roles in Ladies' Detective Agency

Abstract

In the context where gender representation in the media has long been constrained by traditional frameworks, this paper takes the "she-variety shows" Ladies' Detective Agency, a detective-themed program, as the research object. Based on the gender performativity theory and the male gaze theory, it explores how the program reconstructs the subject status of female detective roles through narrative strategies such as an all-female cast and metaphors of workplace cases. The study finds that the program breaks through the stereotype of "emotional assistants" and constructs a two-dimensional female detective model of "logical rationality + emotional insight", achieving a balance between the entertainment value and social criticism of the variety show. It also provides theoretical and practical references for the genre innovation of "she-variety shows". By using the methods of text analysis and audience participatory observation, this research reveals the program's role in constructing the concept of gender equality and offers new ideas for the media to promote social gender practices.