Madonna, Murphy Brown, Thelma and Louise: these much-discussed media icons are the starting points of this introduction to feminist cultural theory. Accessible, yet theoretically sophisticated, up-to-date and entertaining, this book acquaints readers with the major theories, debates and concepts in this new and exciting field. With numerous case studies and illustrations, Walters situates feminist cultural theory against the background of the women’s movement and media studies. Using examples from film, television, advertising and popular discourse, she looks at topics such as the male gaze, narrative theory, and new work on female ways of seeing and spectatorship. Throughout, Walters provides a historically grounded account of representations of women in popular culture while critiquing the dominance of psychoanalytic and postmodern analyses.