ABSTRACT

In this volume of essays, we consider chick flicks, a subject that inspires highly polarized and ambivalent responses. Chick flicks have been both championed and vilified by women and men, scholars and popular audiences. Like other forms of “chick culture,” chick flicks have been accused of reinscribing traditional attitudes and reactionary roles for women. On the other hand, they have been embraced as pleasurable and potentially liberating entertainments, assisting women in negotiating the challenges of contemporary life.