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Women on Screen pp 167–181Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Performing Postfeminist Identities: Gender, Costume, and Transformation in Teen Cinema

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Abstract

From Hollywood classics such as Now Voyager (1942), My Fair Lady (1964), and Pretty Woman (1990) to TV lifestyle programming such as What Not to Wear (2001–07), 10 Years Younger (2004–08), and Gok’s Fashion Fix (2008–09), the makeover narrative is an endlessly repeated and eagerly consumed staple of popular culture. Prevailingly structured around three key components — namely the make-under, the makeover, and the final revelation/affirmation1 — the makeover narrative implies that through the processes of consumption and feminization, the female protagonist will achieve social mobility, popularity, and the “prize” of (a new or rekindled) heterosexual romance. Through their formulaic structure, such texts work to establish the parameters of acceptable feminine appearance, while also offering viewers the vicarious visual pleasure of witnessing the protagonist’s transformation from frump to bombshell.

Keywords

  • Popular Culture
  • Conspicuous Consumption
  • Feminine Identity
  • Female Protagonist
  • Gender Trouble

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Authors
  1. Sarah Gilligan
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Northumbria University, UK

    Melanie Waters (Senior Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Literature) (Senior Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Literature)

Copyright information

© 2011 Sarah Gilligan

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Gilligan, S. (2011). Performing Postfeminist Identities: Gender, Costume, and Transformation in Teen Cinema. In: Waters, M. (eds) Women on Screen. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230301979_12

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