Melissa A Click | Gonzaga University (original) (raw)
Uploads
Articles by Melissa A Click
Television & New Media
Media scholars have begun to examine how masculinities function in the media through exploration ... more Media scholars have begun to examine how masculinities function in the media through exploration of a variety of texts and personas; however, most have sought to do so by using textual analysis. We argue that this emphasis on textual analysis has overshadowed scholarship on media audiences, limiting opportunities to understand how audiences' gender identities are affected by mediated masculinities. Through interviews with viewers of HBO's Entourage, we examine how viewers apply their attitudes and beliefs about masculinity to Entourage's characters and use Entourage's portrayal of masculinities to think through their own gender identities. We found that participants were drawn to a fantasy version of a powerful, dominant masculinity and felt less favorably about characters who exhibited forms of masculinity that incorporated attitudes and behaviors deemed feminine. Our findings suggest that scholarship on the crisis in masculinity, and theorization of hegemonic masculinity generally, would be strengthened with critical qualitative audience studies.
Popular Music & Society, 2013
Like her chart-breaking musical success, Lady Gaga’s relationship with fans, built by her message... more Like her chart-breaking musical success, Lady Gaga’s relationship with fans, built by her messages of self-acceptance and by her intense engagement with fans through social media, is unprecedented. Through one-on-one interviews with an international sample of 45 self-described Little Monsters, we explored this unusual fan-celebrity relationship and found that Lady Gaga’s re-articulation of the negative connotations of “monster” enabled fans to use her as a mirror to reflect upon and embrace their differences from mainstream culture. We argue that social media amplify fan identification and raise questions about
the changing nature of fan-celebrity relationships in a digital environment.
Transformative Works & Cultures, 2010
Environmental Communication, 2010
Women's Studies in Communication, 2008
O ne might say that 2005-2006 was a productive time for us. In addition to the usual scholarship,... more O ne might say that 2005-2006 was a productive time for us. In addition to the usual scholarship, we experienced another form of productionprocreation! Shortly into the spring semester, MK, the department chair, learned that four faculty (of eleven total) were ...
Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World, 2007
Popular Communication, 2007
The study of popular music developed in part to correct the elitist dismissal of the popular and ... more The study of popular music developed in part to correct the elitist dismissal of the popular and to validate popular music as a legitimate object of inquiry. Despite this, there is little popular music research that focuses on the most mainstream popular music. In this study we call for a return to the examination of the most mainstream popular songs and music videos through a preliminary investigation of two concurrent hits from the Adult Contemporary (AC) format: Martina McBride's “This One's for the Girls” and Five for Fighting's “100 Years.” Although both similarly focus on images and issues of life for American women and men during a century of living, they present dramatically different images of women's and men's lives in the lyrics and videos. Through examination of these songs and their accompanying videos, we call attention to the neglect of the most mainstream popular music and reiterate the importance of examining important aspects of U.S. culture, in this case gender, through its most mainstream, and seemingly mundane texts.
Books by Melissa A Click
Papers by Melissa A Click
Communication, Culture and Critique, 2019
The premier of Empire in January 2015 drew 9.8 million viewers and became FOX's highest-rated... more The premier of Empire in January 2015 drew 9.8 million viewers and became FOX's highest-rated series debut in three years. In this episode, we are introduced to the terminally-ill CEO of Empire Entertainment, Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), who must decide which of his three sons will inherit the family business. To further complicate the decision, his ex-wife, Cookie (Taraji P. Henson), is released from prison after 17 years. The strength of the performances from the main cast, and those of celebrity guest stars, bolster the drama that unfolds, explaining why Empire was incredibly popular with audiences, and black audiences in particular. We examine the series's representations of blackness through focus group interviews with 31 black women viewers, exploring how they made sense of Cookie and compared her to black female leads on other series. Our interviews reveal that Cookie's complexities inspire identification and anxiety, engage broader debates about popular cultur...
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
Transformative Works and Cultures, 2010
Meyer's Twilight series has been criticized for its regressive gender representations. To und... more Meyer's Twilight series has been criticized for its regressive gender representations. To understand its continuing appeal, we problematize the messages of abstinence and romance in the series, and contextualize fans' response with a discussion of postfeminist culture.
Men and Masculinities, 2015
The Twilight franchise, based upon the popular Young Adult vampire romantic series, is, unquestio... more The Twilight franchise, based upon the popular Young Adult vampire romantic series, is, unquestionably, female-driven. However, the series’ romantic themes and enthusiastic female fans, as well as the public disdain they have received, have overshadowed the male fans of the series. To explore male fans’ interest in Twilight, how they reconciled their masculine identities with their attraction to a feminine text, and what they learned from Twilight’s romantic messages, we discuss our findings from surveys and group interviews with male Twilight fans. Both the lack of scholarly literature on male audiences of romantic media and the experiences of male Twilight fans reveal that we know little about the roles romantic media play in boys’ and men’s lives. We argue that studying male audiences of romantic media is a useful approach to begin to build an understanding of the roles feminine media forms play in boys’ and men’s gendered identities.
Television & New Media, 2014
Media scholars have begun to examine how masculinities function in the media through exploration ... more Media scholars have begun to examine how masculinities function in the media through exploration of a variety of texts and personas; however, most have sought to do so by using textual analysis. We argue that this emphasis on textual analysis has overshadowed scholarship on media audiences, limiting opportunities to understand how audiences' gender identities are affected by mediated masculinities. Through interviews with viewers of HBO's Entourage, we examine how viewers apply their attitudes and beliefs about masculinity to Entourage's characters and use Entourage's portrayal of masculinities to think through their own gender identities. We found that participants were drawn to a fantasy version of a powerful, dominant masculinity and felt less favorably about characters who exhibited forms of masculinity that incorporated attitudes and behaviors deemed feminine. Our findings suggest that scholarship on the crisis in masculinity, and theorization of hegemonic masculinity generally, would be strengthened with critical qualitative audience studies.
Popular Music and Society, 2013
ABSTRACT
Television & New Media
Media scholars have begun to examine how masculinities function in the media through exploration ... more Media scholars have begun to examine how masculinities function in the media through exploration of a variety of texts and personas; however, most have sought to do so by using textual analysis. We argue that this emphasis on textual analysis has overshadowed scholarship on media audiences, limiting opportunities to understand how audiences' gender identities are affected by mediated masculinities. Through interviews with viewers of HBO's Entourage, we examine how viewers apply their attitudes and beliefs about masculinity to Entourage's characters and use Entourage's portrayal of masculinities to think through their own gender identities. We found that participants were drawn to a fantasy version of a powerful, dominant masculinity and felt less favorably about characters who exhibited forms of masculinity that incorporated attitudes and behaviors deemed feminine. Our findings suggest that scholarship on the crisis in masculinity, and theorization of hegemonic masculinity generally, would be strengthened with critical qualitative audience studies.
Popular Music & Society, 2013
Like her chart-breaking musical success, Lady Gaga’s relationship with fans, built by her message... more Like her chart-breaking musical success, Lady Gaga’s relationship with fans, built by her messages of self-acceptance and by her intense engagement with fans through social media, is unprecedented. Through one-on-one interviews with an international sample of 45 self-described Little Monsters, we explored this unusual fan-celebrity relationship and found that Lady Gaga’s re-articulation of the negative connotations of “monster” enabled fans to use her as a mirror to reflect upon and embrace their differences from mainstream culture. We argue that social media amplify fan identification and raise questions about
the changing nature of fan-celebrity relationships in a digital environment.
Transformative Works & Cultures, 2010
Environmental Communication, 2010
Women's Studies in Communication, 2008
O ne might say that 2005-2006 was a productive time for us. In addition to the usual scholarship,... more O ne might say that 2005-2006 was a productive time for us. In addition to the usual scholarship, we experienced another form of productionprocreation! Shortly into the spring semester, MK, the department chair, learned that four faculty (of eleven total) were ...
Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World, 2007
Popular Communication, 2007
The study of popular music developed in part to correct the elitist dismissal of the popular and ... more The study of popular music developed in part to correct the elitist dismissal of the popular and to validate popular music as a legitimate object of inquiry. Despite this, there is little popular music research that focuses on the most mainstream popular music. In this study we call for a return to the examination of the most mainstream popular songs and music videos through a preliminary investigation of two concurrent hits from the Adult Contemporary (AC) format: Martina McBride's “This One's for the Girls” and Five for Fighting's “100 Years.” Although both similarly focus on images and issues of life for American women and men during a century of living, they present dramatically different images of women's and men's lives in the lyrics and videos. Through examination of these songs and their accompanying videos, we call attention to the neglect of the most mainstream popular music and reiterate the importance of examining important aspects of U.S. culture, in this case gender, through its most mainstream, and seemingly mundane texts.
Communication, Culture and Critique, 2019
The premier of Empire in January 2015 drew 9.8 million viewers and became FOX's highest-rated... more The premier of Empire in January 2015 drew 9.8 million viewers and became FOX's highest-rated series debut in three years. In this episode, we are introduced to the terminally-ill CEO of Empire Entertainment, Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), who must decide which of his three sons will inherit the family business. To further complicate the decision, his ex-wife, Cookie (Taraji P. Henson), is released from prison after 17 years. The strength of the performances from the main cast, and those of celebrity guest stars, bolster the drama that unfolds, explaining why Empire was incredibly popular with audiences, and black audiences in particular. We examine the series's representations of blackness through focus group interviews with 31 black women viewers, exploring how they made sense of Cookie and compared her to black female leads on other series. Our interviews reveal that Cookie's complexities inspire identification and anxiety, engage broader debates about popular cultur...
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
Transformative Works and Cultures, 2010
Meyer's Twilight series has been criticized for its regressive gender representations. To und... more Meyer's Twilight series has been criticized for its regressive gender representations. To understand its continuing appeal, we problematize the messages of abstinence and romance in the series, and contextualize fans' response with a discussion of postfeminist culture.
Men and Masculinities, 2015
The Twilight franchise, based upon the popular Young Adult vampire romantic series, is, unquestio... more The Twilight franchise, based upon the popular Young Adult vampire romantic series, is, unquestionably, female-driven. However, the series’ romantic themes and enthusiastic female fans, as well as the public disdain they have received, have overshadowed the male fans of the series. To explore male fans’ interest in Twilight, how they reconciled their masculine identities with their attraction to a feminine text, and what they learned from Twilight’s romantic messages, we discuss our findings from surveys and group interviews with male Twilight fans. Both the lack of scholarly literature on male audiences of romantic media and the experiences of male Twilight fans reveal that we know little about the roles romantic media play in boys’ and men’s lives. We argue that studying male audiences of romantic media is a useful approach to begin to build an understanding of the roles feminine media forms play in boys’ and men’s gendered identities.
Television & New Media, 2014
Media scholars have begun to examine how masculinities function in the media through exploration ... more Media scholars have begun to examine how masculinities function in the media through exploration of a variety of texts and personas; however, most have sought to do so by using textual analysis. We argue that this emphasis on textual analysis has overshadowed scholarship on media audiences, limiting opportunities to understand how audiences' gender identities are affected by mediated masculinities. Through interviews with viewers of HBO's Entourage, we examine how viewers apply their attitudes and beliefs about masculinity to Entourage's characters and use Entourage's portrayal of masculinities to think through their own gender identities. We found that participants were drawn to a fantasy version of a powerful, dominant masculinity and felt less favorably about characters who exhibited forms of masculinity that incorporated attitudes and behaviors deemed feminine. Our findings suggest that scholarship on the crisis in masculinity, and theorization of hegemonic masculinity generally, would be strengthened with critical qualitative audience studies.
Popular Music and Society, 2013
ABSTRACT
International Journal of Cultural Studies, 2015
Through interviews with 45 self-described Little Monsters, we explore fan identification with Lad... more Through interviews with 45 self-described Little Monsters, we explore fan identification with Lady Gaga’s interest in and messages about politics and philanthropy, Gaga’s influence on fans’ attitudes toward activism, and the role activism plays in the Little Monster community. Our findings suggest both that fans can be deeply impacted by celebrities’ political values and actions, particularly when expressed through social media, and that the online, networked fan communities that develop around celebrities are socially supportive and politically engaged. We assert that fans’ identification with celebrities’ political values and actions, and the engagement of networked fan communities, demonstrate that the enforced distinctions between ‘audiences’ and ‘publics’ are outdated.
Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 2021
Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 2016
Transformative Works and Cultures, Jun 20, 2013