"Dangerous Curves: Action Heroines, Gender, Fetishism, and
Popular Culture" addresses the conflicted meanings associated with
the figure of the action heroine as she has evolved in various
media forms since the late 1980s. Jeffrey A. Brown discusses this
immensely popular character type as an example of, and challenge
to, existing theories about gender as a performance identity. Her
assumption of heroic masculine traits combined with her sexualized
physical depiction demonstrates the ambiguous nature of traditional
gender expectations and indicates a growing awareness of more
aggressive and violent roles for women.
The excessive sexual fetishism of action heroines is a central
theme throughout. The topic is analyzed as an insight into the
transgressive image of the dominatrix, as a refection of the shift
in popular feminism from second-wave politics to third-wave and
post-feminist pleasures, and as a form of patriarchal backlash that
facilitates a masculine fantasy of controlling strong female
characters. Brown interprets the action heroine as a representation
of changing gender dynamics that balances the sexual
objectification of women with progressive models of female
strength. While the primary focus of this study is the action
heroine as represented in Hollywood film and television, the book
also includes the action heroine's emergence in contemporary
popular literature, comic books, cartoons, and video games.
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