Summary
Contents
This new anthology from SAGE brings together over 90 recent readings on gender, sexuality, and intimate relationships from Contexts, the award-winning magazine published by the American Sociological Association. Each contributor is a contemporary sociologist writing in the clear, concise, and jargon-free style that has made Contexts the “public face” of sociology. Jodi O’Brien and Arlene Stein, former Contexts Editors, have chosen pieces that are timely, thought-provoking, and especially suitable for classroom use; written introductions that frame each of the books three main sections; and provided questions for discussion.
Media and Culture
Media and Culture
overview
We learn gender scripts—who to be and what to do and feel—from culture, especially social media. From “It’s a Girl” balloons to playground shouts of “Don’t be such a sissy,” to television, movies, magazines, and the Internet—gendered scripts are pervasive in our lives. From these scripts children and young adults learn what it means to be boys and girls, women and men.
Many of our cultural scripts focus on celebrities. Rebecca Tiger looks at the gendered double standards by which we judge female celebrities. Another source of gender scripting, specifically for young women, are magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, and Teen Vogue, whose glossy covers offer seemingly benign life advice. Amanda M. Gengler’s article “Selling Feminism, Consuming Femininity” ...