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'Girl Power': Girls Reinventing Girlhood examines the identity practices of girls who have grown up in the context of 'girl power' culture. The book asks whether - and which - girls have benefited from this feminist-inspired movement. Can girls truly become anything they want, as suggested by those who claim that the traditional mandate of femininity - compliance to male interests - is a thing of the past? To address such questions, the authors distinguish between 'girlhood' as a cultural ideal, and girls as the embodied agents through which girlhood becomes a social accomplishment. The book identifies significant issues for parents and teachers of girls, and offers suggestions for 'critical social literacy' as a classroom practice that recognizes the ways popular culture mediates young people's understanding of gender. 'Girl Power' will be of interest to researchers of contemporary gender identities, as well as educational professionals and adult girl advocates. It is relevant for students in gender studies and teacher-education courses, as well as graduate student researchers.
Summary
Mediated Youth publishes new research on the cultures, artifacts, and media of children, tweens, teens, and college-aged youth.
Report
"What does it mean to be a girl today? What are the meanings of Girl Power and how are they lived by girls? Does Girl Power offer a new space for girls to contest gender conventions? This theoretically and empirically sophisticated book answers these questions and makes contemporary girlhood intelligible. Currie, Kelly, and Pomerantz mark out the sometimes competing meaning(s) within the discourse of Girl Power, situate them in social and political context, and then analyze how particular girl communities (populars, skaters, online girls) negotiate girlhood, gender, and power. The book honors and complicates girls' thinking and resistance to gender norms and demonstrates how girlhood is hardly a natural phenomenon, but rather a cultural production. For those of us ensconced in adult worlds, this book provides insights into girl worlds that will help us become more thoughtful researchers, teachers, parents, and friends of girls." (Pamela J. Bettis, Washington State University; Co-editor of 'Geographies of Girlhood: Identities In-Between')
