Representations of Female Adolescence in the Teen Makeover Film

Abstract

This thesis proposes to analyse the representation of female adolescence in the contemporary teen makeover film. The study will situate this body of films within the context of the current postfeminist age, which I will argue has bred specific fears both of and for the female adolescent. This thesis will examine the construction of the initial wayward makeover protagonist, paying attention to why she needs to be trained in an idealised gender performance that has as its urgent goal the assurance of heteronormativity and 'healthy' sex role power relations. I will also analyse the representation of deviant adolescent female characters in terms of how their particular brand of postfeminist female masquerade masks a power and status-oriented agenda. The behaviour of these characters is shown to impact negatively on the peer group within the film, and is particularly dangerous as it threatens to negate the need for romance.