Undressing pop culture

Abstract

In the winter of 2010, I conducted a four-week media workshop entitled Undressing Pop Culture for a select group of first year Women's Studies students. This workshop critically examined depictions of women's agency and empowerment as illustrated through postfeminist media representations. The variety of media explored over the duration of the workshop included magazine advertisements, tween products, music videos, and sports images. A combined theoretical approach, drawing on feminist critiques of postfeminism, as well as aspects of critical media literacy, was used as a means for conducting the workshop. Critical analysis of postfeminist media representations occurred through documentary viewing, group discussion, and activities. Using these resources, a media literacy toolkit was developed for intended use as a teaching resource in introductory Women's Studies classes at Memorial University of Newfoundland.