Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media for $8.94



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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 I can't say that my mom ever talked about feminism), so this book was interesting on many levels and while a bit outdated (written in 1994), it was still well worth reading. I give it a solid B...mostly because it's now out of date, otherwise very readable and humorous, while being informative at the same time.


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"Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media" Overview


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.


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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.



Customer Reviews


If I ever recieved the book,,, - Susan Chapman - Staten Island, NY
I would have loved to review my purchase, but since I haven't received it, or a response to my email questioning the where abouts of my purchse, I cannot give a review. I gave one star because I cannot submit it without any stars. My choice would be no stars since I am 3 weeks behind in my classwork due to this transaction.





Obscure references - L. Herndon - Milwaukee, WI
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.




witty pop culture tour - E. M. Bristol - boston, mass
"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.



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