How is gender constructed in the media? To what extent do portrayals of gender influence everyday perceptions of ourselves and our actions? In what ways do the media reinforce and sometimes challenge gender inequalities? "Critical Readings: Media and Gender" provides a lively and engaging introduction to the field of media and gender research, drawing from a wide range of important international scholarship. A variety of conceptual and methodological approaches is used to explore subjects such as: entertainment; news; grassroots communication; new media texts; institutions; and, audiences.Topics include: gender identity and television talk shows; historical portrayals of women in advertising; the sexualization of the popular press; the representation of lesbians on television; the cult of femininity in women's magazines; images of African American women and Latinas in Hollywood cinema; sexual violence in the media Women in popular music; pornography and masculine power; and, women's relationship to the Internet. This book is ideal for undergraduate courses in cultural and media studies, gender studies, the sociology of the media, mass communication, journalism, communication studies and politics.