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"I want to be just like Mary-Kate.and Ashley": Young girls talk about popular teen icons in an after-school book club

by Mary Napoli

As I browsed the children's section of a More specifically, I wondered about the major bookstore chain, I noticed two implicit messages that the Mary-Kate and young girls, about nine years of age, in Ashley brand sells to girls regarding the front of a towering cardboard display of relationship of appearance to Mary-Kate and advertising romance, happiness, and Success. Since I their latest book in the "Real Books for wanted to know how these products help Real Girls" series. While the girls young girls interpret and make enthusiastically talked about Mary-Kate sense of their world and themselves, I and Ashley, I overheard the following formed an after-school book club with a conversation. group of eight girls between the ages of Girl I absolutely love Mary Kate 7-12. The book club convened over a #1: and Ashley. period of four months during the fall of 2001 at a local public library. As a Girl Me too! Look! (pointing to the participant researcher, I facilitated book #2: ad) You can win a birthday club discussions that provided insights party. about girls' desires to "be like Mary--Kate and Ashley." To present my Girl Yeah I saw that on their TV findings, I will provide a brief overview #1: show. Don't you watch their of the brand and share data gathered shows? through ethnographic methods, such as Everything they do is so cool! participant observation, interviews, and book club discussions. Girl I'm going to ask my mom to #2: buy this book for me. The Mary-Kate and Ashley brand (Field notebook, 2001) In terms of media coverage, the Olsen sisters have been among the most In an instant, they were off, giggling popular female personalities for young with excitement, book in hand, to ask adolescents. Since making their debut at their adult companion for purchasing nine months old, sharing the role of power.Intrigued by this exchange, during the late 80's on I became curious about the the television series , the girls media's influence on young girls' have continued to be very visible to a beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions. growing fan pool. They have appeared

Mary Napoli teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Children's Literature at Penn State Harrisburg. Her research interests include gender and culture in children's literature. Currently, she is working on a project to examine girls' responses to popular culture themes in children's literature.

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on the cover of countless magazines, Upon close examination of Mary- including Seventeen, Teen People, Kate and Ashley as “texts,” I Cosmo Girl and their own short-lived noticed that the themes of beauty, magazine, Mary-Kate and Ashley: Real romance popularity,self Talk for Real Girls. They are in control confidence, friendship, and empowerment intersect to offer of their billion-dollar empire, which particular messages about what it means includes direct holdings in their product to be a girl and, later, a woman. Given line from fashion to movies. Mary-Kate the importance of preadolescence as a and Ashley have been able to capitalize period where girls are beginning to on their wholesome image by offering establish ideas about becoming young various products aimed at toddlers, women, the implicit contradictions in preadolescent girls, and young adults. the Real Girl message offered by this Each of their products is accompanied brand is curious. On one hand, the by the Real Girl slogan that silently message celebrates girls by presenting communicates a particular subject empowering images of Mary-Kate and position for the reader ... that of a girl and Ashley solving problems and winning of a consumer. Similar to many other competitions. Yet, the branding of celebrity marketing campaigns, the fashion and beauty products reinforces a Mary-Kate and Ashley products are girl's desire for the ideal feminine advertised across their own media lines. image. For example, as readers examine the back of each book, they will notice The Mary-Kate and Ashley after-school advertisements and announcements book club. In an effort to obtain insights about other products in the brand, about how the girls responded to the including fashion (Real Fashion for Real messages presented in the books, I Girls), cosmetics (Real Beauty for Real established a community of readers with Girls), video games (Real Games for Real the girls who joined the Mary Kate and Girls), and dolls (Real Dolls for Real Ashley after-school book club. As a Girls). The products reveal participant researcher, I also wanted to patterns of socialization, body image, encourage the girls to begin to ask pleasure, and consumption and are critical questions about the texts and to accessible to many girls in Mexico, consider what the brand is selling to Germany, United States, London, consumers. In the Mary-Kate and Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Ashley book club, the girls read eight titles Their website, www.marykateand from the comprehensive list of over 50 ashley.com, receives over 270 available books. The Real books for Real million hits per year and features links Girls series, aimed at preteen girls, offer which invite consumers to collect, read, formulaic structures with and play with the various items in the predictable solutions. The element of brand. As Dan Hade (2001) indicated, fantasy in these books offers girls an "Brands represent ways of living. The escape from the apparent contradictions brand does not represent the product, of growing up female. Mary-Kate and the product represents the brand and a Ashley present themselves as ordinary bookbecomes one more kind of girls who struggle with the same product that carries meaning" (161). concerns as the average teenager. Yet, Mary-Kate and Ashley live a `fantasy'

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lifestyle. They make their own movies, but that's a different kind of own their own fashion line and travel popular. I mean around the world. Even though they I don't have all that fancy claim that they are `real' girls, their stuff like some of the kids I lifestyle is not typical of most know. preadolescent and teenage girls who consume their products. The books Tricia Neither do I, but I think it present characters who are focused would be nice. on being popular and on meeting boys. In this sense, the books reinforce female Mary: So, are we saying that to be stereotypes, limiting girls' perceptions a girl you have to be popular about what they should look like and and dress nice what they should care about. As Valerie like Mary-Kate and Ashley? Walkerdine (1984) suggests, "Popular cultural texts directed at young women Britney: Well, son of. I think that position them to look for a `prince,' to you have to be yourself, but look for an escape route from the sometimes if I have tensions and contradictions of lived something really cool on, I gender relations in a patriarchal feel really good about society" myself (p. 175). Shane: I know what you mean. I Girls constructing a sense of self think that wearing the latest Throughout the after-school book club fashions sort of sessions, the girls shared various makes you popular, but it's thoughts and perspectives about their also other stuff too, like sense of self and their ways of having the right understanding their interest in Mary- friends and liking the right Kate and Ashley and the brand. In the things. I don't know. following excerpt, I invited the girls to consider the question, "What is a girl?" Chrissy: I don't know if it's really Shana: Girls have to be popular like important to have the Mary Kate and Ashley. popular clothes to be a Everyone likes them girl. and everyone wants to be their friend. I think that Shana: I know what you mean, but popular girls dress it just seems like it's really nice and have the latest important in my fashions. class. (Book club transcript 10/0 1) Chrissy: But what about us? We are girls who happen to like In this exchange, Chrissy resisted the Mary Kate and message of being popular solely on the Ashley, so doesn't that make premise of wearing the right clothing. us popular? Some of the girls wanted to dress like Mary-Kate and Ashley in an attempt to Amy: (Interrupted quickly) Yeah,

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become more like them and to become Mary: Tell me one way that they more popular. Research findings help you to be confident. indicate a young girl's understanding of her place in the social world can be Ally: Well, there was this one time connected to the categories that are I had to do chores around the available to her in the contemporary house and I discourse of girlhood Gudgeon 1998). didn't really want to, so I Moreover, young girls' interest in thought about MK&A (that's displaying the right clothing on their what I call them bodies can be defined within a discourse for short) and I was like, well, of owning a subject position and a what would they do? culture, such as magazines, clothing, dolls, etc. (Driscoll 2002). Mary: So, you imagined that Mary- Kate and Ashley had to do Scholars such as Beal (1994) and Brown chores and that and Gilligan (1992) have noted that helped you make a decision? socialization into femininity begins at an early age and that the transition from Ally: Yeah. childhood to adolescence has been referred to as a "flight to femininity" Mary: How do you know that Mary where preadolescent girls become more Kate and Ashley do chores? focused on their appearance. Moreover, Brown and Gilligan (1992) have noted Ally: They do the same things that that girls begin to internalize cultural we do. It's on their television prescriptions for acceptable feminine shows and behavior. "Feminine beauty" is held up sometimes in their books. as an ideal for which girls are to strive, but in terms of the lifestyle portrayed by Mary: So, do you think that reading Mary-Kate and Ashley, it is an ideal that the books or watching the few girls can ever hope to attain. As I shows helps you worked with young girls who were to be confident? interested in Mary-Kate and Ashley, I wanted to understand the nature of Ally: Yeah, I do, My mom thinks the phenomenon and how it that they are good role operated to produce and regulate girls' models, so I think I construction of femininity. During a learn a lot of good things semi-structured interview, I had the from their shows and books. following conversation with Ally. (Interview 12/01) Mary: So tell me why you like Mary-Kate and Ashley? In this conversation, Ally uses her connection to the Mary-Kate and Ashley Ally: I like everything about them. texts as a way to construct herself, They are the best and they especially in teens of an increased self- help me to be awareness. Ally views Mary-Kate and confident. Ashley as positive role models for establishing her sense of self. I

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wondered what aspects of Mary Kate them? and Ashley she viewed as empowering. In what ways do Mary-Kate and Ashley Ally: I guess to work hard and to do serve as role models for young girls? my best. These questions needed further (Interview 12101) consideration, so I asked Ally to articulate her thoughts about my queries: This excerpt illustrates that Mary-Kate and Ashley have a powerful effect on the Mary: Ally, I'm wondering what you formation of this young girl's identity. As mean when you say that role models, Mary-Kate and Ashley have Mary-Kate and been described as "trendy, wholesome, and empowering." This is Ashley are role models? Tell supported by Ally's earlier statement me what you think makes a that her mother also views the twins as good role positive role models. Ally's idea that model? she needs to work hard to be successful may have been influenced by watching Ally: Well, in school, I learned that the television shows or by reading the when people do good things books. However, she also links being for others, like successful to her interactions with if they are important, like my individuals in her school and home teacher or the principal that environment. you can learn from them. I'm not sure what "I want to be like, Mary-Kate and you learn, but I know that you Ashley" do. Providing the book club participants with various opportunities to discuss and Mary: Tell me a little more about respond to the books in the Mary Kate how Mary-Kate and Ashley and Ashley series allowed the girls to are role models consider their own world and its for you. construction as they compared themselves to the world of the twins. As Ally: Well, they are successful. I girls explored their own ideas about the mean they own their own books and their own topics of interest fashion line and based on the readings, they acted as have been in lots of movies. agents by expressing their own opinions And they are pretty, cool, and and attitudes about the books. confident. In the following excerpt, the girls shared their responses to the movie novelization Mary: How do you think that they entitled, Winning London (2001). The became so successful? book offers young female readers certain subject positions, ways to look and Ally: I think that they have to work behave that make them "girl-like" as really hard. defined by Mary Kate and Ashley. Trica: I liked the book, but 1 wish Mary: So, what can you learn from that I could be like [Mary

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Kate and Ashley] Her own opinion and offered important _ them. They always get to points about how she wanted to act and travel and go to parties and meet who she wanted to be. The girls cute boys. identified with Mary-Kate and Ashley's social connections with families or Yeah, but we don't know if Chrissy: friends. In short, this conversation they are cute. We only know became a good example to illustrate how it `cause of the movie. (Points fictional texts work to construct the girls' to the video on the table). subjectivity. As the girls and I

read several other titles within the Mary

Kate and Ashley book series, I I think that it could happen Britney: discovered that the texts fueled their because people go on trips fantasies. The blurring of the all the time. personalities of the popular teens with the literary creation of the characters. in But we are kids and we are Holly: the books remains problematic. The not famous. images and the story lines present a

script of life, the way a girl's life could I know what you mean, but I Shana: be and the way some girls would think it's still cool that Mary envision life to be.. The fluid and often Kate and contradictory identities that many Ashley made a book about young girls are constructing based on their trip; I learned a lot their response to reading the books about London when I illuminates Margaret Meek's (1983) watched the movie. statement that reading itself becomes a

source of pleasure, play, and desire. Me to. That why I love their Ally: Yet, within the context of the book club, books `cause I can imagine I encouraged the girls to resist and myself being challenge the implicit messages that them, you know what I were presented in the stories. Weedon mean? (1987) noted that within social settings,

readers operate as agents on their own Yeah. I think I know what Amy: behalf, while simultaneously being you mean. I sometimes get subjected to the powerful discourses and my friends to play practices that construct them as subjects. Mary Kate and Ashley with In the next conversation, the girls me and we pretend to live in responded to School Dance Party a rich house (2001). In this story, Mary-Kate and and meet cute boys and Ashley are twelve years old and want to stuff attend the fall dance, but they are not able to find dates. The story explores This brief exchange serves as yet another their boy problems as they try to find example where girls expressed their dates to the school dance. individual ideas about the book and explored their connections to the twins. Mary: Do you think that it's Each girl served as an agent in voicing important to have a school

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dance when you are only twelve? Tricia: Yeah. Since they are popular and famous, they probably Britney: Well, I think that it would be go to dances. fun, but I don't think that I would want to Mary: Okay, these are good ideas. go with a boy. But, if we think that going to dances is for Ally: Yeah, no way. older kids, then why do you think Mary-Kate and Ashley Shana: In my fifth grade class, they would write want to have a dance for us: this book for younger girls?

Chrissy: Yeah, my brother told me Shana: Well, I'm not sure, but I about it. He went last year guess going to dances are a and said it was big deal when you dumb. I'm not sure if I want are a teenager. I know my to go. babysitter talks about what she wants to wear Tricia: Do all the boys go to the and stuff like that. dance? Amy: Yeah, they [Mary-Kate and Chrissy: Yeah. Some of them go with Ashley] talked about going girls. It's a big deal. shopping for new clothes and stuff in the Mary: Shana, do you think that it's book. important to have a dance at school? Britney: But, it you aren't old enough to go to a dance, then why Shana: No. I think dances are for did they write a whole book older kids like my babysitter about it? who is in high Chrissy: Yeah, why don't they write school. about stuff that we know about? Britney: I think it would be fun, but not if boys go. Shane: Yeah, that's a good idea.

Mary: Anyone else? Okay. Let's Book club transcript (11101) talk about this some more. Why would Mary- The girls exercised agency in order to Kate and Ashley write a critique themes of romance and beauty book about going to a school that are associated with going to a dance then? school dance. They considered whether going to a school dance was relevant to Holly: I don't know. Maybe they their own lives and Britney even had a dance at their school. questioned the intent of the book The

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opportunity for girls to talk about the lured by their fashion line, by their stories and situations in an after-school popularity and by the fantasy of living setting provided them with a site to out their lives. The ideological messages negotiate their position in relationship to suggest that the products are created for the dominant patterns of power, their real girls by real girls (who just happen environments, and their sense of self. to live fantasy lives). Creating a space Young girls need opportunities to enable for girls to discuss their interests is a them to understand, to engage with, and powerful pedagogical tool to launch to potentially transform what limits and critical conversations that negotiate and harms them (Basow & Rubin, 1999). interrogate the messages in the texts. Girls become socialized into gendered Final thoughts identities long before they enter school As I continued to interact with the book and/or join after school book clubs. In a club participants, I noticed that their media-saturated society, it becomes discussions became webs of critical to encourage students, such as intertexuality. The girls became more the girls in my after-school book club, to cognizant of issues relating to class and become more cognizant of the implicit wealth, commenting for example, about messages embedded in cultural texts and the teen icons' access to possessions to offer them opportunities to resist while at the same time, expressing them. Educators can encourage students dreams of becoming famous or wanting to examine how they are positioned by to purchase items to be more "like" the texts within a variety of contexts. When twins. Many of the their comments led given the opportunity, children can me to consider how the marketing be very critical in their interpretations concept situates the girls as consumers. of popular culture, The Mary-Kate and Ashley phenomenon attracts a group of young girls who are

References Basow, S.A., & Rubin, L.R. (1999). Gender influences on adolescent development. In N.G. Johnson, M.C. Roberts, & J. Worrell (Eds.), Beyond appearance: A new look at adolescent girls. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Beal, C. (1994). Boys and girls: The development of gender roles. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Brown, L.M., & Gilligan, C. (1992). Meeting at the crossroads: Women's psychology and girls’ development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Budgeon, S. (1998). Choosing a self: Young women and the individualization of identity. Westport, CT: Praeger. Driscoll, C. (2002). Girls: feminine adolescence in popular culture and cultural theory. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. Hade, D. (2001). Curious George Gets Branded: Reading as Consuming. Theory into Practice, 40 (3), 158-165. Meek, M. (1983). How texts teach what readers learn. London, UK: Thimble Press. Walkerdine, V. (1984). Someday my prince will come: Young girls and the preparation for adult sexuality. In A. McRobbie, & M. Nival (Eds.), Gender and Generation (pp. 162-184). Houndsmills, UK: MacMillan. Blackwell. Weedon, C. (1987). Feminist practice and poststructuralist theory. New York, NY: Blackwell.

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