Natalie Ngai

Natalie Ngai is a Ph.D. Candidate in Communication and Media at the University of Michigan. Natalie is interested in gender and sexualities, media history, and digital culture, with a specific focus on cuteness. She received her MPhil in Gender Studies from St Edmund's College, the University of Cambridge, where she held a full scholarship. Natalie obtained her Bachelor's in Communication (Broadcast Journalism) from Hong Kong Baptist University. Natalie lived in Hong Kong, the Czech Republic, and England before moving to the United States.

Research Awards:

2022 The British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) Best Essay by a Doctoral Student

2022 Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) Fan and Audiences Studies Graduate Student Paper Award

2022 The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Entertainment Studies Interest Group Top Student Paper Award and Anne Cooper-Chen Research Award

Recent Publications:

Original research:

"The Temptation of Performing Cuteness" in Feminist Media Studies

"Women Under Authoritarianism" in International Journal of Communication

"Homemade Pet Celebrities" in Celebrity Studies

“The Mother of a Famous Child” In Media Work, Mothers and Motherhood

Review articles:

"Cuteness is everywhere" (review) in Cultural Studies

"Why does cuteness matter? A review of The Power of Cute" (review) in Critical Studies in Media Communication

Field(s) of Study:

• Cuteness
• Celebrity Studies
• Gender and Sexualities 
• Feminist Media Studies