Girls Make Media

By Mary Celeste Kearney

Book Overview

More girls are producing media today than at any other point in U.S. history, and they are creating media texts in virtually every format currently possible--magazines, films, musical recordings, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415972787
• ISBN13: 9780415972789
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

girls' "imagined community"

In this book, Kearney shows her interpretation of the American girls' movement of "Riot Grrrl" as "imagined community" which is Benedict Anderson's definition. According to Anderson, a nation is the "imagined community" because "the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion (Anderson's "Imagined Community" p6). Kearney employs Anderson's theory to discuss the imaginary circle of Riot Grrrl. She writes: "The imaginary community of Riot Grrrl provides female youth with both a network of supportive friends and a forum for discussing their personal problems, larger social issues, and visions for a better future without fear of censorship, silencing, or retaliation" (p64). An important factor which underpins Kearney's interpretation of Riot Grrrl as imagined community is its "participatory culture." Kearney demonstrates that the girl fans expand the spectrum of consumerist practices by establishing "'participatory culture' through various interactions with and appropriation from media texts" (p37). As powerful cultural agents, the girls create their strong "imagined community" by participating in various types of culture including fanzine, film, website, online chatroom, message board, and so on. The author's writing is sometimes repetitious and too much information was detailed, but overall, I really enjoyed reading this book.