Lowe Critical Review

In her article, "Tween Scene: Resistance within the Mainstream," Lowe uses two focus groups to research her hypothesis that tween girls within the mainstream are able to use their position there to uphold feminist values. Though the 12-15 year old girls she meets would never call themselves feminists, she finds that they are aware of the sexual objectification that occurs in mainstream pop, and the affect it has on all women. Yet these girls are still fans and consumers of pop. Though they all like Brittany Spears, the girls dislike the fine line she walks between sex goddess and princess of pop, most likely because that is the line they feel they are being asked to walk all the time. Lowe believes that dealing with these issues helps the tweens begin to test their own sexuality, finding a line between attractive and objectified, and their own political sense of self based on their views of how women are treated in media as well as how they are viewed as females. I think Lowe hits on an interesting point that this may no longer be considered feminism outright - these girls do not want to be associated with this word. Instead it is a new breed of "Girl Power." It is female solidarity that asks for gender-equality.

Question: Lowe notes that the girls love to sing the songs together, but could care less about the story that Brittany Spears is telling. Chris Rock also mentions something similar in a stand up routine about how women love hip-hop, but when asked about hip-hop music's disrespectful content toward women they most often say "not talkin' 'bout me." Is music becoming less about the politics? Or is it that the musical content isn't seen as political, and instead the scene is just full of political negotiating (i.e. the tweens being in the mainstream pop scene, while trashing it at the same time)?