Branding Miss G__

Feminist groups have been around for decades, but getting the steam and attention needed is a difficult endeavor. Branding Miss G__: Third Wave Feminists and the Media is the story of one group getting the attention they desired. Their marketing scheme is unique and eye catching, and didn't push the feminist aspect too far all in the name of bring women's studies courses to Ontario schools. Branding Miss G is a message to other famous groups on how to push their messages effectively.

Branding Miss G__ is an exciting and insightful discussion that takes a fresh look at how third wave feminists are engaging with the media to foster social change. Women's studies is now well entrenched in the university curriculum. But why isn't it a core part of high school education? The Miss G__ Project for Equity in Education, founded in 2004 by two first-year university students, is lobbying the Ontario government to make this happen. Today, the Miss G__ Project has chapters in eleven universities across Ontario. As a strategy to overcome the challenge of gaining mainstream media attention for a feminist project, they have created a public image that relies heavily on heterosexual femininity — casting themselves as "ladies," posing coyly in skirts, wearing full makeup and offering perfect smiles. The author herself is a member of the Project, and while she supports the group's initiative, she has serious concerns about this strategy. Will it help the project reach its political objective? Or will the media reframe the image to shape a negative public opinion that erodes the Project's overall support? To answer these questions, Miller interviews the group and contrasts their interpretation of their strategy against critical media analyses to better understand how their message is being communicated and how it is likely to be taken up by the public.