Hello! My name is Liz, and I’m pleased to welcome you to “Double Take,” the girlfuture.com blog about images of girls and women in popular culture. Typically, the phrase “double take” describes a person’s surprise as she realizes that just as she’s ready to turn away from something, she wants to take a second look. Has this ever happened to you…you’re reading a magazine, and right when you turn the page, an ad catches your eye, and you find yourself lingering on the image? Maybe the colors or fonts stop you. Or, the jingle. Or, the way the models look. Whatever the reason—and they’re all good reasons—the title “Double Take” reminds us to pay attention to those moments when we realize we should look a little closer.
Why does it matter that a certain ad or image causes a double take? For starters, we take in a lot of info about our culture and the world from the images we find in print media. Often, we can decide for ourselves what we think about X or Y and move on with our lives. However, personally, there are times when I can’t get an ad or image out of my head, and I want to talk about it with someone else. Double Take is just the place for conversations like these. In addition to creating a forum to discuss puzzling, challenging, frustrating, or exciting pop culture images, I hope reading and participating in this blog will help you…
• …realize how carefully advertisers and companies design their ads as well as how powerful the messages sent by those designs can be.
• …learn how to think carefully about what messages the ads send so you can examine ads (and other images, messages, and information) in your daily lives.
• …understand how the pictures of girls and women in popular culture affect the way we think about sex and gender (i.e. how certain images tell us what it means to be a girl or a woman. Or a boy or man, for that matter.).
• …ask questions about how images and pictures of girls/women can impact the lives of real girls and women. For instance, how do ads that feature girls/women playing sports influence how young girls approach athletics? Or, are there connections between the way the models look and my own feelings about my appearance?
Above all, I hope you’ll view the exploration of visual pop culture’s impact on the lives of girls and women as a rewarding undertaking. As you participate in the blog (by reading, offering comments, and submitting future ads/images), you’ll start to see your society and yourselves in new ways. Now that is certainly worthy of a double take!