Maiden USA: Girl Icons Come of Age

Maiden USA: Girl Icons Come of Age explores images of powerful, contradictory pop culture icons of the past decade, which run the gamut from Mean Girls and their Endangered Victims to Superheroines and Ingenue Goddesses. Are girls of the Title IX generation in need of Internet protection, or are they Supergirls evolving beyond gender stereotypes to rescue us all?

The book provides an overview of girl trends since the 90s, including the emergence of girls digital media-making and self-representation venues on MySpace, Facebook and YouTube as the newest wave of Girl Power. With brainiacs and athletic champions offered as antidotes to mean girls and lolitas, what is the significance of such contradictory imagery for the culture at large?