Women in Popular Culture Literature

Despite the notions of modern feminism and the encouragement of women to support fellow women, numerous pop-culture books and movies depict quite opposite situations that instead portray female characters as the primary antagonists of a female protagonist. For my project, I have read four popular novels, all of which have been adapted into major motion pictures: Bridget Jones's Diary (1996), The Princess Diaries (2000), The Devil Wears Prada (2003), and Crazy Rich Asians (2013). I have additionally read works by different literary critics who have studied female interactions in a wide array of media. In my talk, I explore these interactions further, focusing specifically on those between women of the same generation and those of different generations, and consider why so many of these relationships, and even friendships, are depicted as vicious.