There’s No One Perfect Girl: Third Wave Feminism and The Powerpuff Girls

The popular children’s television series, <i>The Powerpuff Girls</i>, was originally conceived by animator Craig McCracken under the name <i>The Whoopass Girls </i>in 1992. Following a name change and three alternative pilot episodes, the series was picked up by the Cartoon Network and ran from 1995 through to 2005. During this time the show won several awards, including two Primetime Emmy awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation (2000 and 2005), and two Annie awards for Production Design and Musical Score in an Animated Series (2001). In this article I will be exploring <i>The Powerpuff Girls</i> from a feminist perspective, focusing on what is unique about this series and where it is positioned in popular media culture, before addressing some of the common criticisms of the show and identifying some of its major strengths. It will be my contention that <i>The Powerpuff Girls</i> embraces third-wave feminist ideology, with its focus on “Girl Power” and consumerism, while also abandoning the more individualistic aspects of this brand of feminism by exploring the meaning of sisterhood and female empowerment through community

Consent is Sexy: Gender, Sexual Identity and Sex Positivism in MTV’s Young Adult Television Series Teen Wolf (2011–)

<div>The dominance of sexual violence and gender inequality in young adult paranormal series, including Stephenie Meyer’s The Twilight Saga (2005–2008) and Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series (2007–2010), reflects a disturbing trend in the way issues of sex and gender are communicated</div><div>in popular culture. MTV’s television series Teen Wolf (2011–), on the other hand, is noteworthy for its positive representation of healthy sexual relationships. In this article we will explore how Teen Wolf functions as a feminist and queer-friendly text, paying particular attention to how it deals with issues of consent, gender equality and sexual identity. In doing this, we will explore how the characters in the series approach conversations about consent without “killing the mood” and how youth sexuality is discussed without imposing conservative, heteronormative rhetoric or resorting to “slut-shaming.”</div

Editorial

Editorial for Colloquy, issue 3

Tights and Tiaras: Female Superheroes and Media Cultures [Introduction]

<div>Until Wonder Woman leapt into comic book stores around the world in 1941, all comic book superheroes were expected to sport bulging biceps and other no less protruding male appendages snug within their spandex unitards. In 2010, the 600th issue of <i>Wonder Woman</i> celebrated the Amazonian superhero’s longevity in print media. To mark the occasion, the issue reinvented the superhero’s iconic costume to make it less revealing, introducing dark trousers and a blue, starred jacket. This shift to more practical, less sexualised wear arguably reflects changing attitudes about gender and the growing female presence in the comics industry. Nevertheless, the change prompted some controversy online amongst fan communities, again highlighting the problematic history of the representation of women as powerful figures.</div><div><br></div><div>Thus <i>Tights and Tiaras: Female Superheroes and Media Cultures</i> was born—an interdisciplinary, international conference dedicated to interrogating the representation of powerful female figures in media of all types, from comic books to online gaming and contemporary art, and from superhero staples like Wonder Woman, Buffy, and Xena to genetically modified kindergarteners and supercharged supermums.</div

(Un)Ethical Futures – Conference Booklet

Conference booklet for <i>(Un)Ethical Futures: Utopia, Dystopia and Science Fiction</i>, 15–17 December 2017, Melbourne