Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media | 
|  | | | Title: | Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media | | Author: | Susan J. Douglas | | Publisher: | Three Rivers Press | | Type: | Book / Paperback | | Publication Date: | 28 March, 1995 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0812925300 / 9780812925302 | | List Price: | $16.00 | | You Save: | $5.12 | | Amazon Price: | $10.88 | |
 This book is also available, brand-new, from 3rd-party marketplace sellers at Amazon.com, from $5.98. |
The HTML code below can be pasted onto your web-site, your MySpace page, or blog - or any number of similar places - to create a link to this page: If, instead of a text link, you'd like to create a link to this page which will display the book cover, if it's available, then the code below will do exactly that:
Check for the same book at these other US book sites:
• [ Abebooks ] • [ Alibris ] • [ Barnes & Noble ] • [ Half.com ] • [ Powells ] … or check UK bookstores
| Editorial Review / Publisher's Information:
Product Description
Media critic Douglas deconstructs the ambiguous messages sent to American women via TV programs, popular music, advertising, and nightly news reporting over the last 40 years, and fathoms their influence on her own life and the lives of her contemporaries. Photos.
Amazon.com Review
An insightful, witty, and well-written analysis of the effects of mass-media on women in late 20th-century American culture. Douglas cuts through the fluff that spews from the tube with a finely-honed sense of the absurd that can forever change (or minimally, inform) how you perceive the changing portrayals of women by the media. The only book I know of that has been given highest recommendations by Gloria Steinem, The McLaughlin Group, and Amazon.com.
| Other Items You May Enjoy:
Browse Books From These Related Subjects:
Customer Reviews:
• Unfair Review By Uniformed Republican From Alabama 04 May, 2004
To begin with, feminism is about finding a suitable subject position for "female", "feminine", "woman." Douglas explores the subject position of the feminine in pop culture -- and does it rather well. Some attacks listed here are uninformed about the purposes of feminism, or assume that feminism is designed to do something anti-male. For instance, "Harpe" you claim that "Government-funded child care, taxpayer-supported abortions, national health insurance, Social Security for homemakers, and many other socialist policies" are socialistic rather than feministic. But maybe that's because your idea of what feminism is remains limited to the outmoded belief that feminism is about equal rights with men (well, white men). What Susan Douglas does here IS feminism and the only way your Civil War nostalgic mind can get past it is to disregard it as socialist (and since when did social responsibility become a BAD thing?). The things Douglas addresses in this book support equality not special privileges -- for instance funding for homemakers provides security should the heteronormic imperative (also known as marriage) fail or be, gasp, undesirable. Why do some readers fail to see that it is men who have special rights by having independence from domesticity in a way that women do not have (particularly in Alabama -- I know, I live here too). For those of you who might have picked this book up to find out "Where the Girls are" for your own misogynistic reasons, put it down now; go read something like Susan Bordo's _The Male Body_; find out what feminism REALLY is and what it hopes to achieve; then come back and read Douglas's book. Until then, vote for Bush and Riley, admire Thomas Jefferson, attend a Civil War re-enactment and stay out of the new millennium.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A27IT5ISRTCJEC
• Interesting & Thought Provoking 29 June, 2008
Wow...I don't even really know where to begin with this book. To my way of thinking, it's an excellent overview of women in the media from the early sixties to about the early nineties and it does a pretty thorough job of it dealing with everything from Jackie O to Beatle mania to I Love Lucy and I dream of Jeanie, all the way up to Dynasty and Dallas. It was an eye opener for me from the perspective of I've seen a few episodes of most of the programs she discusses, but many (Dynasty, Dallas, Cagney & Lacey, Hill Street Blues, LA Law, and many more), I've seen either NO episodes or maybe 1-3...we either weren't living in the US at the time (Dynasty and Dallas) or I refused to watch (Hill Street Blues). So from that angle, this book is interesting, because I know these shows were widely acclaimed and watched by millions...it was a whole other take on their popularity and ultimate message to and about women and men and their places in society.
I'd love to see an expanded edition to include some of the other shows in the last 10 years (Xenia, Buffy, and so on)...but overall, having not read much about women in the media (beyond what is shown on the news, somewhat ironic I know) or about feminism (not something I've had any real contact with or connection to in my life. I can't say that my mom ever talked about feminism), so this book was interesting on many levels and while a bit outdated (written in 1994), it was still well worth reading. I give it a solid B...mostly because it's now out of date, otherwise very readable and humorous, while being informative at the same time.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3QYO76LD22QHT
• Witty Pop Culture Tour 28 September, 2005
"Where the Girls Are" is a tour through and a look at how pop culture affected girls and women. It is a thought provoking, sarcastic, and very witty portrayal from a woman who admits to having an "attitude problem." The targets are taken from literature, movies, TV and music, and include everything and everyone from "Bewitched," The Shirelles, "Sex and the Single Girl," Charlie's Angels, Murphy Brown and Madonna. She also examines famous feminists'impact including Kate Millett, Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug. The book contains plenty of quotes from anti-feminists, as well, to show (at least in this reviewer's eyes) just how ridiculous if often effective the opposition to the Women's Movement was.
One thing. The author laments that role models in children's literature are "few and far between." Either she is making a blanket statement, or she has no experience. Young adult and children's lit, even back in 1994 when the book was published, are a treasure trove of strong, positive female heroines.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A27OBJA1YDQFZI
• Obscure References 18 January, 2007
For anyone born after the baby boomers, the constant references to TV shows, music, and movies for illustrating points makes the book nearly unreadable.
She draws almost exclusively on the feelings people felt while watching or listening while growing up. Having missed that generation, I can't identify with that woman. I believe her premise, that women are shaped by the messages they receive growing up, is accurate, but she does a poor job of illustrating it to anyone outside her generation (and maybe inside, I don't know).
I'd love to see this book redone with a little more relevance to all women.
- Reviewed by customer ID: AEXW92AQMQYV2
|
