Hellions
Pop Culture’s Rebel Women
October 2008
Trade Paperback · 280 Pages
$15.95 U.S.
ISBN 9781580052405
Seal Press
Trade Paperback · 280 Pages
$15.95 U.S.
ISBN 9781580052405
Seal Press
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Description
Who is the iconic rebel? Is it a character from the legacy of James Dean or Clint Eastwood, or maybe a Beat Generation writer? Better yet, is it a woman?
Modern pop culture and the media have distorted the notion of rebellion. Classic male rebels appear sexy, nomadic, and naturally rebellious, while unorthodox women are reprimanded and made to fit unrealistic roles and body images, or mocked for their decadence and self-indulgence. In order to appreciate our legacy of female rebels—and create space for future cultural icons—the notion of rebellion needs to be reevaluated.
From Madonna and Marilyn Monroe to the reality TV stars and hotel chain heiresses of the twenty-first century, Hellions analyzes the celebration of pop culture icons and its impact on notions of gender. Looking at these past examples, Hellions expands upon the definition of rebellion and offers a new understanding of what would be considered rebellious in the celebrity-obsessed media culture of the twenty-first century.
Winner of the Emily Toth Award for the Best Single Work by One or More Authors in Women’s Issues in Popular and American Culture 2008
Maria Raha is the author of Cinderella’s Big Score: Women of the Punk and Indie Underground. Her nonfiction work has also appeared in Young Wives’ Tales: New Adventures in Love and Partnership (Seal Press, 2001) and The W Effect: Bush’s War on Women (Feminist Press, 2004). She is the managing editor of Swingset and a contributor to Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture, among other publications. Maria currently resides in Philadelphia.
Modern pop culture and the media have distorted the notion of rebellion. Classic male rebels appear sexy, nomadic, and naturally rebellious, while unorthodox women are reprimanded and made to fit unrealistic roles and body images, or mocked for their decadence and self-indulgence. In order to appreciate our legacy of female rebels—and create space for future cultural icons—the notion of rebellion needs to be reevaluated.
From Madonna and Marilyn Monroe to the reality TV stars and hotel chain heiresses of the twenty-first century, Hellions analyzes the celebration of pop culture icons and its impact on notions of gender. Looking at these past examples, Hellions expands upon the definition of rebellion and offers a new understanding of what would be considered rebellious in the celebrity-obsessed media culture of the twenty-first century.
Winner of the Emily Toth Award for the Best Single Work by One or More Authors in Women’s Issues in Popular and American Culture 2008
Maria Raha is the author of Cinderella’s Big Score: Women of the Punk and Indie Underground. Her nonfiction work has also appeared in Young Wives’ Tales: New Adventures in Love and Partnership (Seal Press, 2001) and The W Effect: Bush’s War on Women (Feminist Press, 2004). She is the managing editor of Swingset and a contributor to Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture, among other publications. Maria currently resides in Philadelphia.