2014/03/28 by Linda Steiner · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Gender, Feminism, and Media #Media Studies and Communication #Media, Gender, and Advertising
paper · doi:10.1002/9781118591178.ch20
openalex publication_date 2014/03/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Feminist media theory relies on feminist theory. That is, it applies philosophies, concepts, and logics articulating feminist principles and concepts to media processes such as hiring, production, and distribution; to patterns of representation in news and entertainment across platforms; and to reception. Unlike approaches that hide their politics, feminist theorizing is explicitly political. It addresses power. Feminist media theory takes gender seriously – as a factor that structures identity and experiences – without assuming permanent or static gender differences. An assumption that long dominated feminist media theory was this: if women controlled media production, content would be different and better. Intersectional theorizing on sexuality has largely ignored women of color, sexual minorities, people marginalized by physical or cognitive (in)ability. Feminist media theories and the entire field of feminist media studies are increasingly explicit about the importance of international and multidisciplinary work seriously addressing media convergence and globalization.