Why Barbie Will Never Be President: Popular Culture Pedagogies and the Political Glass Ceiling in America
Open Access
Author:
Sandoe, Kathryn Jeanne
Graduate Program:
Humanities
Degree:
Master of Arts
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
March 29, 2013
Committee Members:
Peter Jones Kareithi, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Robin Redmon Wright, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Samuel Peter Winch, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Keywords:
Critical cultural studies pedagogy feminism politics myths popular culture Barbie Commander in Chief Twilight 24
Abstract:
This thesis examines representations of women in popular culture pedagogies within the context of the private versus public spheres as it relates to American politics. The analysis utilizes critical discourse analysis and binary oppositions to study three popular culture texts: Barbie as a cultural icon, the five cinematic blockbusters from the Twilight saga, and two popular television series, Commander in Chief and 24. The study reveals that popular culture pedagogies unconstructively influence women’s participation in American politics. These social discourses function as myths that reinforce the domesticity of women; through which they learn to accept the role of homemaker as a premier and destined vocation in life. These discourses suggest the attractiveness of the domestic fantasy as more attainable than the achieving the office of the presidency; thus reproducing a socially conditioned, patriarchal political dominance over women in the United States.
