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HBO's Girls and the Awkward Politics of Gender, Race, and Privilege is a collection of essays that examines the HBO program Girls. Since its premiere in 2012, the series has garnered the attention of individuals from various walks of life. The show has been described in many terms: insightful, out-of-touch, brash, sexist, racist, perverse, complex, edgy, daring, provocative-just to name a few. Overall, there is no doubt that Girls has firmly etched itself in the fabric of early twenty-first-century popular culture.
The essays in this book examine the show from various angles including: white privilege; body image; gender; culture; race; sexuality; parental and generational attitudes; third wave feminism; male emasculation and immaturity; hipster, indie, and urban music as it relates to Generation Y and Generation X. By examining these perspectives, this book uncovers many of the most pressing issues that have surfaced in the show, while considering the broader societal implications therein.
List of contents
Acknowledgments
1.Introduction
Girls and the Awkward Politics of Gender, Race, and Privilege
Elwood Watson, Jennifer Mitchell and Marc E. Shaw
Chapter 1
She's Just Not That Into You: Dating, Damage and Gender
Jennifer Mitchell
Chapter 2
The Body Police: Lena Dunham, Susan Bordo and HBO Girls
Joycelyn Bailey
Chapter 3
Owning Her Abjection: Lena Dunham's Feminist Body Politics
Maria San Filippo
Chapter 4
Girls' Issues: The Feminist Politics of Girls Celebration of The Trivial
Yael Levy
Chapter 5
Sentimental Boys in Girls
Marc E. Shaw
Chapter 6
Capitalizing on Cool: The Music That Makes Girls
Hank Willenbrink
Chapter 7
Generation X Archtypes and HBO Girls
Tom Pace
Chapter 8
Reading Girls: Bringing Sexy Back To Girls
Laura Witherington
Chapter 9
Lena Dunham: Awkward White Girl
Elwood Watson
Chapter 10
Marnye On the Ones and Twos: Appropriating Race, Criticizing Class in Girls
Lloyd Isaac Vayo
About the author
Elwood Watson is professor of history, gender studies, and African-American studies at East Tennessee State University.
Jennifer Mitchell teaches at Weber State University.
Marc Shaw is associate professor of Theater Arts at Hartwick College.
Summary
This book studies the HBO program Girls from multiple perspectives by comparing the series to similar programs from the past and present by examining it through the lenses of gender, race, sexuality, and culture.
