Abstract:
Images of girl power have saturated visual and other forms of culture for the
better part of two decades and suggested a reclaiming of the term “girl” to describe a
wide range of ages and embodiments. Intertwined with this new form of girlhood is a
rethinking of public and private, distinctions which are instrumental in determining
gender norms and which illustrate that space and identity are mutually determined. This
blurring of boundaries between public and private in terms of physical space as well as
for images and information is central to a popular narrative depicting a schism between
feminist generations. A main argument between what are termed second-wave and third-wave
feminisms seemed to be about visibility: when, how and in what context a girl is
visible and the consequent value of notice and recognition. In this dissertation I explore
how media worlds intersect with lived worlds to function as a blueprint for social
tensions about feminisms and femininity. Through the lens of media, my analysis
uncovers masked relationships of social structure, power and identity which underpin
feminist and Cultural Studies scholarship. Using qualitative methods of semiotic textual
analysis of the television series Alias alongside ethnographies of girls interacting in
private as they discuss media images and in public as they carry out social relations, my
research draws from television theory, feminist theory and cultural sociology and
geography.
