Private Screenings: Television and the Female Consumer

In an incisive look at the relationship between women, television, and consumer culture from the 1950s to the present, Private Screenings focuses on the complex interplay of television and the female consumer/audience. From the introduction of television to American domestic space, Private Screenings examines how television has historically treated race, class, and gender. While much of the research in this field has been historical, textual, or empirical, this volume approaches the topic from a sociocultural and feminist perspective to address important questions from the viewpoint of the audience as well as that of the industry.

Drawing from a wide variety of genres, including situation comedies, police shows, variety shows, and ethnic family dramas, the authors in this collection explore the ways in which the television industry has inserted itself into women’s lives, both at home and in the marketplace. The essays examine the concept of this “private screening” in which “consumption” is sold to female viewers as a necessary element of a rich, fulfilled life.

Contributors: Julie D'Acci, Sarah Berry, Aniko Bodroghkozy, Robert H. Deming, Dan Einstein, Sandy Flitterman-Lewis, Mary Beth Haralovich, Lynne Joyrich, William Lafferty, Nina Liebman, George Lipsitz, Denise Mann, Lynn Spigel, Jillian Steinberger and Randall Vogt.