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PERFORMING GIRLHOOD: BETWEEN EMPOWERMENT AND EXPLOITATION

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dc.contributor.author Noor, Maliha
dc.date.accessioned 2025-07-04T07:06:19Z
dc.date.available 2025-07-04T07:06:19Z
dc.date.issued 2025-07-04
dc.identifier.uri http://repository.cuilahore.edu.pk/xmlui/handle/123456789/5145
dc.description.abstract This thesis examines the construction, performance, and commodification of girlhood and femininity in the digital era, focusing on social media, literature, and cultural trends. It explores how platforms like TikTok and Instagram have reshaped girlhood through aesthetics such as the "girlissance" 1 and "I'm Just a Girl" 2 , dangling between empowerment and commodification. Drawing on theories of gender performativity, surveillance, and post-feminism, the research investigates how girlhood is both reclaimed and infantilized, and how social media trends foster self-expression while reinforcing patriarchal ideals. The study critiques the hyper-commodification of femininity, where individuality is curated for consumption, and highlights the tension between gender transgression and normative constraints. Case studies on viral trends and literary depictions explore these themes, emphasizing intersectionality. This thesis aims to draw a line between empowerment and exploitation, for young impressionable minds to be conscious of their use of the internet. While these trends may appear fascinating, our individual identities are getting lost somewhere. This thesis argues for a critical understanding of the internet’s dual role in empowering and exploiting femininity, advocating for digital spaces that prioritize authenticity and inclusivity. en_US
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries ;9659
dc.relation.ispartofseries ;FA21-BDE-010
dc.subject construction en_US
dc.subject performance en_US
dc.subject commodification en_US
dc.subject self-expression en_US
dc.title PERFORMING GIRLHOOD: BETWEEN EMPOWERMENT AND EXPLOITATION en_US
dc.type Thesis en_US


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