Kasey Windels and CJC Doctoral Student Co-Author Article on Postfeminist Discourse in Advertising

Kasey Windels, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Advertising associate professor, and CJC doctoral student Heidi Makady are the co-authors of “Defining Gender Equality Until the Next Generation: Evidence of the Persistence of Postfeminist Discourse in Advertising” published in Feminist Media Studies on June 28.

In their study, Windels, Makady and Sara Champlin identified and articulated the elements of an iteration of postfeminist discourse featuring children, referred to as the “next generation” discourse.

According to the authors, “The next generation discourse includes elements common in post-feminism, such as a tendency to focus attention on women’s individual efforts as the key to their success and to ignore the impact of structural inequalities. Next generation discourse also contains a unique element. Through lofty statements about how youth are naturally unbiased and value equality, this discourse defers change until the next generation. It assumes that policy- and decision-makers don’t have to make changes, and feminism is no longer needed, because society is inevitably headed toward equality thanks to the next generation.”

Posted: July 6, 2021
Category: College News
Tagged as: Heidi Makady, Kasey Windels