Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book argues that Disney Channel, in conjunction with multiple other divisions of The Walt Disney Company, reproduces hegemonic notions of idealized girlhood by franchising girls' performances of girlhood, stardom, and celebrity. It focuses on the simultaneous functions of youth, gender, race and ethnicity, and class privilege on and surrounding Disney Channel programs for girls. The book also argues that Miley Cyrus's rise to fame, via Hannah Montana and concurrent pop performances, simultaneously represents the significance of the tween pop idol made "luminous" in early twenty-first-century US culture and also the powerful potential of girls' cultural visibility in the realm of popular media. It also examines how Disney Consumer Products (DCP), Target retail stores, and Disney Channel personnel speak about girlhood and fashion culture in relation to their partnership to launch the D-Signed fashion collection.