Sexual Identities and the Media

Sexual Identities and the Media

<P>Sexual Identities and the Media encourages students to examine media as a site of negotiation for how people make sense of their own and others’ sexual identities. Taking a critical/cultural approach, Wendy Hilton-Morrow and Kathleen Battles weave together theory, synthesis of existing research, and original analysis of contemporary media examples in order to explore key areas of debate, including: </P> <P></P> <UL> <P> <LI>an historical context for contemporary GLBTQ representations; </LI> <P></P> <P> <LI>the advantages and limitations of media visibility, including a discussion of the strengths and limitations of stereotype research and the quest for "positive" representations; </LI> <P></P> <P> <LI>the role of consumer culture in constructing GLBTQ identities; </LI> <P></P> <P> <LI>strategies of mainstream media resistance by GLBTQ community members, including oppositional/queer reading strategies and the production of media products by and for the GLBTQ community; </LI> <P></P> <P> <LI>the complexities of comedy as a popular narrative device in GLBTQ portrayals;</LI> <P></P> <P> <LI>the closet as a structuring metaphor in both GLBTQ identities and engagement with media;</LI> <P></P> <P> <LI>media representations of GLBTQ bodies as sites of non-normative desires and gender identities.</LI> <P></P></UL> <P></P> <P>Featuring an enormous range of discussion questions and case studies―from celebrity coming-out narratives, transgender models, and slash fiction writers to <I>Glee </I>and <EM>Modern Family</EM>―this textbook offers a timely, informative, and demystifying introduction to this vital intersection in contemporary culture.</P>