Just Like Us: Digital Debates on Feminism and Fame

Caitlin E. Lawson

Published by Rutgers University Press 2023

Just Like Us

Digital Debates on Feminism and Fame

Caitlin E. Lawson

https://doi.org/10.36019/9781978830943

Overview
Contents

About this book

In Just Like Us: Digital Debates on Feminism and Fame, Caitlin E. Lawson examines the rise of celebrity feminism, its intersections with digital culture, and its complicated relationships with race, sexuality, capitalism, and misogyny. Through in-depth analyses of debates across social media and news platforms, Lawson maps the processes by which celebrity culture, digital platforms, and feminism transform one another. As she analyzes celebrity-centered stories ranging from “The Fappening” and the digital attack on actress Leslie Jones to stars’ activism in response to #MeToo, Lawson demonstrates how celebrity culture functions as a hypervisible space in which networked publics confront white feminism, assert the value of productive anger in feminist politics, and seek remedies for women’s vulnerabilities in digital spaces and beyond. Just Like Us asserts that, together, celebrity culture and digital platforms form a crucial discursive arena where postfeminist logics are unsettled, opening up more public, collective modes of holding individuals and groups accountable for their actions.

Author / Editor information

CAITLIN E. LAWSON is an assistant professor of communication and media studies at Emmanuel College, Boston.

Reviews

"An incisive look at the role of technology and celebrity culture during the #MeToo moment and beyond. In key case studies, Lawson shows how 21st-century strides for women have been confronted by misogynistic backlash, enabled by digital platforms. A critical read at this pivotal moment for women’s rights."

— Andrea McDonnell, co-author of Celebrity: A History of Fame

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction: The Rise of Celebrity Feminism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1 Hacking Celebrity: Sexuality, Privacy, and Networked Misogyny in the Celebrity Nude Photo Hack Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	23
2 Staging Feminism: Negotiating Labor and Calling Out Racism at the 2015 Academy Awards Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	43
3 Nasty Women, Silly Girls: Feminist Generation Gaps and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Presidential Campaign Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	70
4 Platform Vulnerabilities: Fighting Harassment and Misogynoir in the Digital Attack on Leslie Jones Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	94
5 TIME’S UP Celebrity Feminism after #MeToo Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	117
Conclusion: Celebrity Feminist Futures Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	145
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	155
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	157
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	161
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183
About the Author Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	195