Deconstructing a discourse : broadening understandings of teenage girls' "resistance"
Abstract
Popular culture has a strong influence on youth, and the creation of meanings associated
with youth. Representations within popular culture, specifically film, branch beyond
entertainment and become discourses that construct how we perceive our world. Youth
resistance is commonly represented in films geared towards the teenage gene{ation. Yet,
the discourse of resistance has positioned females as non-resistors. This thesis addresses
representations of teenage girl resistance within popular culture due to the strong
influence film has on teenage girls today. This thesis will specificaIJy examine three films
directed at North American teenage girls: Thirteen, Ghost World and The Sisterhood of
the Travelling Pants. Through a feminist poststructurallens utilizing discourse analysis,
this thesis will examine teenage girl resistance as it is represented in the aforementioned
films. This thesis repositions teenage girl resistance as a multi-dimensional concept,
allowing for resistance to branch beyond the traditional meaning associated with it.