Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction

"Gauntlett's optimism is infectious, the subject matter engaging, and, as a result, the book is difficult to put aside. It is a thoroughly pleasurable introduction to the ties between self-identities and representations of gender in media." Anne E. Lincoln in Journal of Consumer Culture (2003) "Brings the theory of popular culture to the widest possible audience... Delightful and provocative" Charlie Peverett of HERO (2002) Media, Gender and Identity is an accessible introduction to the relationship between media and gender identities today. It includes an assessment of the different ways in which gender and identity have previously been studied, and provides new approaches for thinking about the media's influence on gender and sexuality. David Gauntlett explores the gender landscape of contemporary media and draws on recent theories of identity negotiation to understand the place of popular media in people's lives. Discussing a range of examples from films such as Charlie's Angels, What Women Want, and Tomb Raider , men's and women's magazines from FHM and Maxim to Cosmopolitan and Glamour , primetime television programmes, and pop music, Media, Gender and Identity shows how the media are used in the shaping of self-identities. Media, Gender and Identity includes: - A comparison of gender representations in the past and today, with many contemporary examples - An introduction to theorists such as Anthony Giddens, Michel Foucault and Judith Butler - A discussion of queer theory and the idea of gender as performance - A study of 'girl power' role models such as Destiny's Child and Britney Spears - A website with extra articles, interviews and selected links, at www.theoryhead.com David Gauntlett is Professor of Media and Communications at the University of Westminster, London. He is the author of several books on media audiences and identities, including Moving Experiences (1995, 2005) and Creative Explorations (2007). He produces Theory.org.uk , the award-winning website on media, gender and identity. MEDIA STUDIESDavid Gauntlett is the author of 'Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction', published 2008 under ISBN 9780415396608 and ISBN 0415396603.