FLUIDITY OF GENDER IDENTITY IN NIMONA: A TRANSGENDER SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS IN A FILM TITLED “NIMONA”

Poetri Sekar Kinanthi, 202110040311067 Fluidity of Gender Identity in Nimona: A Transgender Semiotic Analysis in a Film Titled “Nimona”, 60 pages, 28 references. Thesis, Communication Science Major, Faculty of Social Science and Political Science, University Muhammadiyah Malang, 2025.
Gender fluidity is a change in a person's gender expression or gender identity, or both periodically (Sabra, 2020). Someone who is gender-fluid will feel feminine at one time and then masculine at another. So, someone who is gender fluid is quite flexible in identifying their gender, because of the belief that gender is non-binary, which means that not everyone fits into the categories of male or female.
This research explores the fluidity of gender identity in the animated film Nimona (2023) through the lens of semiotic analysis, grounded in Roland Barthes’ theory of denotation, connotation, and myth. The study aims to uncover how the film constructs and communicates non-normative gender identities through symbolic, visual, and narrative elements, particularly through the character of Nimona, a shape-shifter whose constant transformation challenges binary gender norms and fixed identity constructs.
The type of research used in this study is qualitative research, resulting from observations of a film through documentation. This study uses Roland Barthes' semiotic analysis method, which emphasizes three stages: denotation, connotation, and myth.
Drawing on Queer Theory, the analysis highlights how Nimona subverts traditional myths of the “hero,” the “monster,” and the unified self, offering instead a narrative of queer resistance, self-determination, and identity liberation. The findings indicate that Nimona functions as a progressive cultural text that not only reflects but actively reimagines gender diversity in contemporary animated media. This research contributes to queer media studies and gender discourse by demonstrating how animation serves as a powerful platform for representing transgender and non-binary identities through semiotic structures.