Who needs democracy if we can pick our favorite girl?: Super Girl as media spectacle

This article examines the 2005 Super Girl phenomenon in China through the lens of media spectacle. I first review some general debate on reality TV and introduce the perspective of media spectacle for analyzing the specific Super Girl case in the Chinese context. I then look at strategies employed for making Super Girl into a media spectacle and how the spectacle mediates between the state, the market, media institutions, and spectators. The production, participation, and interpretation of this spectacle worked together to maintain a series of myths, which reinforce and naturalize the existing power structure rather than challenging the status quo.