From the Closet to the Stars. Metaphoric Construals of Gender Identity in Tumblr. A Case Study

Abstract

This paper explores how group and individual identity are constructed on social media, and it looks specifically at the role of figurative language in this process. It also acknowledges the idiosyncrasy of Tumblr, which is characterized by its users’ unique lexicon and its peculiar post and identity labelling system (Oakley 2016). Based on previous research on conceptual metaphor (Hart 2008, Charteris- Black 2004, among others), this study seeks to understand the effect of frame activation in the construal of gender and its role in the construction of intersubjective identities for the creation of (fluid) social groups. This research follows a qualitative, corpus-based analysis, in which three types of figurative language were distinguished: metonymy, metaphor and cultural frames (Dancygier & Sweetser 2014; Kövecses 2017). As shown in the results, the use of figurative language counteracts prior binary conceptions of gender, erasing previous boundaries. Furthermore, examples involve intertextual and interdiscursive references, hence creating interpersonal relations via shared ambient affiliation