| Description |
xii, 291 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
| Physical Medium |
regular print |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 267-282) and index. |
| Contents |
Introduction: Funhouse mirrors : popular culture's distorted view of girl/womanhood -- Becoming a girl : pop culture's first stage of gender training -- Reading between the lines : the lessons adolescent girls learn through popular young adult literature -- The gendered self-help reel : how romantic comedies instruct women on dating dos and don'ts -- Selling weddings and producing brides : mediated portrayals of that 'perfect day' -- Love, American style : gendered representations of marriage in the media -- Nine months of fear and a lifetime of paranoia : the hidden effects of pregnancy manuals, child rearing products, and more -- Changing the playing (or reading) field : reconceptualizing motherhood through humorous parenting texts -- Pumas, and cougars, and MILFs, oh my! : popular portrayals of romance and sexual encounters between 'the older woman' and younger man -- Beyond the hot flashes : new portrayals of mature women -- Conclusion: Exiting the funhouse : challenging society's lessons one stage at a time. |
| Summary |
"Popular culture has created a slew of stereotypical roles for girls and women to (willingly or not) play throughout their lives: the Princess, the Diva, the Bridezilla, the Tiger Mother, the M.I.L.F, the Cougar, and more. In this book, Ames and Burcon investigate the role of cultural texts in gender socialization at specific pre-scripted stages of a woman's life and how that instruction compounds over time. By studying various texts (magazines, blogs, tweets, television shows, films, and self-help books) they argue that popular culture exists as a type of funhouse mirror constantly distorting the real world conditions that exist for women. Despite the many problematic, conflicting messages women receive throughout their lives, this book also showcases the ways they are resisted, allowing women to move past the blurry reality they broadcast and toward, hopefully, gender equality."--Back cover. |
| Subject |
Women in mass media.
|
|
Women in mass media. |
|
Mass media -- Influence.
|
|
Mass media -- Influence. |
|
Popular culture -- United States.
|
|
Popular culture. |
|
United States. |
| Added Author |
Burcon, Sarah Himsel, 1965- author.
|
| Added Title |
From toddlers-in-tiaras to cougars-on-the prowl |
| ISBN |
9781137566171 (hardback) |
|
9781349849918 (paperback) |
|
1137566175 (hardback) |
|
