'Girl Power': Girls Reinventing Girlhood - Paperback

by Sharon R. Mazzarella (Other), Dawn H. Currie (Author), Deirdre M. Kelly (Author)

'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.

Author Biography

The Authors: Dawn H. Currie is Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. She is author of Girl Talk: Adolescent Magazines and Their Readers (1999) and co-editor of numerous books, including Learning to Write: Women's Studies in Development (1998, with Noga Gayle and Penny Gurstein).
Deirdre M. Kelly is Professor in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. She is author of Pregnant with Meaning: Teen Mothers and the Politics of Inclusive Schooling (2000, Peter Lang), which won a 2003 American Educational Studies Association (AESA) Critic's Choice Award.
Shauna Pomerantz is Assistant Professor in the Department of Child and Youth Studies at Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada. She is author of Girls, Style, and School Identities: Dressing the Part (2008).