St. Cloud State University theRepository at St. Cloud State Culminating Projects in English Department of English 8-2019 Boys Will Be Boys, Girls Will Be Not Like Other Girls: A Symbolic Convergence Theory Examination of “Other Girls” Brilynn Janckila Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/engl_etds Recommended Citation Janckila, Brilynn, "Boys Will Be Boys, Girls Will Be Not Like Other Girls: A Symbolic Convergence Theory Examination of “Other Girls”" (2019). Culminating Projects in English. 154. https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/engl_etds/154 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of English at theRepository at St. Cloud State. It has been accepted for inclusion in Culminating Projects in English by an authorized administrator of theRepository at St. Cloud State. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Boys Will Be Boys, Girls Will Be Not Like Other Girls: A Symbolic Convergence Theory Examination of “Other Girls” by Brilynn Janckila A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of St. Cloud State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in English August, 2019 Thesis Committee: Sharon Cogdill, Chairperson Matt Barton Kirstin Bratt 2 Abstract The fandoms of teenage girls have, historically, been ridiculed by the larger part of American society. The popular interests of teenage girls, such as Taylor Swift, Twilight, or the Beatles, have been used to invalidate young women across America, reducing them to the idea of “basic”—someone who thinks they are unique but likes mainstream trends, such as wearing leggings and drinking Starbucks.