Are Super Girls Super for Girls?

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Are Super Girls Super for Girls?

• Rebecca C. Hains, Ph.D.
• Salem State College, Massachusetts, USA

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Background
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Girl Power suggests

• Girls are strong and capable
• Playing with femininity can be empowering
• Supports all things that are girlish

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But, Girl Power therefore

• Capitulates to dominant ideas about femininity
• Is progressive and regressive at the same time

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Girl Power Cartoons
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Girl Power is in dialogue with
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Research

• Fieldwork in suburbs of major east coast U.S.
  city
• Two groups of girls
• African-American
• Caucasian
• Girls ages 8-11
• Individual interviews
• Regular group interviews in after-care programs
• Talked with girls family members, educators
• Used feminist cultural studies perspective

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Physical Appearance On Screen
Kylie She looked ugly. Her muscles made her
ugly and her voice made her sound ugly.
A girl named Alex (Totally Spies) becomes
muscular in the episode The Incredible Bulk
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Physical Appearance On Screen
Zoe I think they looked weird because how
small the wings were, and how high their socks
were
One of the characters on Disneys W.I.T.C.H.
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Physical Appearance On Screen
Blossom (Powerpuff Girls) gets a REALLY bad
haircut in The Mane Event
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Physical Appearance On Screen
Angela They shouldnt have opened their mouth
so they wouldnt eat any cookies and they
wouldnt get fat.
Clover (left, Totally Spies) gets REALLY fat in
Passion Patties
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Are lessons just for little kids?
Angela The cartoons I watch dont have a point
to the show. Theyre not like The Wiggles.
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Are lessons just for little kids?
KYLIE The lesson is never to go into somebody
elses lab, and dont create something thats
dumb.
The story of Bunny, the fourth Powerpuff Girl, is
supposed to teach a lesson dont judge people
too quickly.
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Physical Appearance in Everyday Life
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Physical Appearance in Everyday Life
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Physical Appearance in Everyday Life
ANGELA I want to be like my dad, because hes
skinny, but he eats so muchI dont ever see him
eat any fruitor vegetables. But hes so skinny.
LEFT What Angela wishes she looked like. RIGHT
What Angela thinks she looks like.
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Physical Appearance in Everyday Life
Kylies drawing
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Physical Appearance in Everyday Life
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Contact

• Rebecca C. Hains
• Salem State College
• 352 Lafayette St.
• Salem, Massachusetts, USA 01970
• rhains_at_salemstate.edu
• 978-542-7411