Girl Gamers:Strengths and Stereotypes

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Sarah BernhardRhetoric of Popular Culture, Fall 2013

My Thesis

“It appears that as they exist as a subculture within popular

media, girl gamers’ attempted defiance of gender roles,

whether it is forced or genuine, and their reception by

outside parties suggest that even as self-identified ‘girl

gamers’ strive to empower themselves for playing video

games, they often separate themselves from the gaming

community at large by simultaneously reinforcing

traditional standards of femininity.”

Text: “I Fight Like a Girl” shirt

Text: Frag Dolls

Text: “Controller Eating” photos

One of the original photos…

…and a few of its parodies.

Conclusions• The relationship between girl gamers and femininity is quite

complex (maybe a bit too complex for me...) because of the sites of struggle that arise in many of the embodying texts.– Specifically, many of the texts reveal that even as female

gamers strive to prove themselves as equal to male gamers, the manners in which they do so reinforce or exist alongside pre-existing gender stereotypes.

• These texts are rhetorical in nature because they promote a specific manner of thinking and/or behavior based on ideologies.

• The fact that this subculture (gamers) is so intricate in its operations and is inherently based on and revolves around a specific type of media emphasizes how influential pop culture and entertainment can be on society.

Photo Sources• http://www.jinx.com/p/i_fight_like_a_girl_womens_v_neck.html?exp=go

• http://fragdolls.com/gamer-girls/

• http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gurl-gamer