Category Archives: consumerism

Teenagers, a late-90s obsession

Posted on December 3, 2010 by

Desperate to Seem 16 by Lynn Hirschberg, New York Times, September 5, 1999 The most popular actresses on television today are very young and brunet. There is Katie Holmes, who stars as a high-schooler on “Dawson’s Creek,” and Jennifer Love … Continue reading →

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The End of the Princess Movie?

Posted on November 22, 2010 by

“Rapunzel” Goes Gender-Neutral by Sadie Stein, jezebel.com, March 9, 2010 Since Disney believes the title “Frog Princess” alienated boys, “Rapunzel” is now “Tangled.” Happily ever after? Says the producer, “In our film, the infamous bandit Flynn Rider meets his match in … Continue reading →

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The changing meaning of weddings

Posted on November 19, 2010 by

Interview with Rebecca Mead, author of “One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding” by Hannah Wallace, salon.com, May 21, 2007 Rebecca Mead’s obsession with the marketing of weddings began three years ago, when she wrote a story for the … Continue reading →

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It doesn’t pay to elope

Posted on November 4, 2010 by

Warning: Eloping Will Leave You A Sheetless Wretch by Margaret Hartmann, jezebel.com, July 23, 2010 If you thought weddings were about making a commitment to the person you love, prepare to be schooled by this vintage ad. Apparently they’re all … Continue reading →

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Wealthy, Whiny, White; or, “Privilege Lit”

Posted on August 17, 2010 by

Eat, Pray, Spend: Priv-Lit and the New, Enlightened American Dream By Joshunda Sanders and Diana Barnes-Brown, Illustrated by Ana Mouyis, bitchmagazine.org For decades, self-help literature and an obsession with wellness have captivated the imaginations of countless liberal Americans. Even now, … Continue reading →

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Once upon a product placement…

Posted on July 29, 2010 by

Young Adult Novels Plumb New Depths Of Product Placement by Anonymous, jezebel.com, February 20, 2008 About a year ago, I was desperate to review Dial L For Loser from the New York Times best-selling tween book series The Clique. I … Continue reading →

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It’s a Mad world

Posted on July 26, 2010 by

Is Mad Men The New Sex and the City? by Sadie Stein, jezebel.com, July 22, 2010 Many fans of the former may hate the latter — particularly some manfolk — but the cultural similarities cannot be ignored. It had been … Continue reading →

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Attack of the Rich Kid Book

Posted on March 11, 2010 by

Where, Oh Where Is Superfudge? By Rachel Shukert, babble.com, February 4, 2008    Let me begin with a small disclaimer: it is not my intention to make anybody feel old, least of all myself. Although I already feel old; recently … Continue reading →

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To call princesses a “trend” among girls is like calling Harry Potter a book

Posted on March 10, 2010 by

What’s Wrong With Cinderella? By Peggy Orenstein, The New York Times,
December 24, 2006 I finally came unhinged in the dentist’s office — one of those ritzy pediatric practices tricked out with comic books, DVDs and arcade games — where I’d … Continue reading →

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