Subversive Incongruence: G-Dragon and the Multi-step Flow of Gender-Disruptive Luxury Branding

Author Information

Xuanqin Li, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Changyangzi Li, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Lingyu Liu, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Yingqi Zhang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Xiang Jiang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Bianca Sheena Zheng Cai, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China

Abstract

In contemporary luxury advertising, the strategic leverage of gender incongruence—male celebrities explicitly styling womenswear—has evolved into a dual-layered tool of persuasion. This study investigates the “G-Dragon (GD) effect” and his association with CHANEL to explore how gender-disruptive aesthetics are negotiated by consumers. We argue that this phenomenon operates through a double persuasion: facilitating commercial consumption while normalizing the broader cultural acceptance of fluid gender performances. Crucially, we distinguish this from traditional “gender-neutral” or subcultural “queer” aesthetics. By maintaining a distinctly masculine appeal to a female-dominated fanbase, GD’s persona enables a form of subversive stylization where incongruence is seamlessly merged into his identity. This allows “feminine” luxury signifiers to be recoded as markers of elite taste rather than gender dissonance, naturally eroding the rigid cultural imaginations of the gender binary. Our research examines how this dual persuasion is filtered through a multi-step cultural flow: the legitimization of incongruent styles by elite fashion media, the validation of peer groups who mirror these choices, and the role of female appreciation in redefining male desirability. Through a survey of consumers in mainland China, this study explores how attitudes toward the celebrity and purchase intent are shaped by social validation and peer evaluation. The findings suggest that such “merged” incongruence represents a radical departure from traditional congruence-based cultural and marketing values, offering a new lens for understanding how high-fashion provocations persuade audiences to embrace both luxury goods and the re-articulation of masculine identity.

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• Category: Humanities - Media/Film Studies/Theatre/Communication

Posted by James Alexander Gordon

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