WMU HOME > ABOUT WMU > WMU NEWS Lecture examines persistent stereotypes of teenage girls Jan. 24, 2005 KALAMAZOO--Why can't American popular narratives take teenage girls seriously? Dr. Ilana Nash, assistant professor of English at Western Michigan University, will address that and related questions in a free, public lecture at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27, on the 10th Floor of Sprau Tower. During her presentation, "'Stupid Teenage Girls': A Representational Legacy of American Popular Culture," Nash asserts that in this age of so-called "girl power" and feminist consciousness, mainstream representations of teenage girls stay stuck in insulting stereotypes that have barely changed over the past century. Drawing from her forthcoming book, "American Sweethearts: Teenage Girls in Popular Culture, 1930-1965," Nash addresses the legacy of girls' diminishment in comic fiction, plays, film and television, illuminating parallels between past and present. Media contact: Thom Myers, 269 387-8400, thom.myers@wmich.edu WMU News Office of University Relations Western Michigan University 1903 W Michigan Ave Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA 269 387-8400 www.wmich.edu/wmu/news