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interfaces present themselves as neutral information
providers and finding aids – un-texts or televisual non-
places – designed to assist the viewer confronted with an
expanding array of programming choices. These interfaces
displace the liveness and flow of the traditional television
experience and give audiences a sense of control, but,
in actuality, viewers are submitting to the control of the
technology that tracks what they watch and how. Even as
these interfaces introduce new aesthetics, alter individuals’
relationships to media, and foreground new ontologies of
user customization, personalization, and control, they also
threaten to screen out their own discursive context, their
integration into the gendered spaces of everyday use, and
the application of insights from television studies into “new
media” contexts. Moreover, as these televisual interfaces,
and indeed television itself, move both within and outside
of the home, across laptops, mobile phones, and portable
media players, they work to reconfigure the private/
public dialectic in favor of a new paradigm of spatiality
– the media space. Chamberlain argued that as televisual
interfaces become the familiar touchstone working to
reorient viewers in these newly colonized media spaces,
they also refract and redefine our understanding of the
gendered nature of television viewing.
Seiter opened the discussion to questions from
the audience, which produced insightful comments on
connections between the four papers and raised points
for further investigation, such as the way shows like
Nip/Tuck seem to explore new territories but carefully
set up male doctors to mediate female desires and judge
what is acceptable or not. The question was also posed as
to whether or not new media technologies are changing
and expanding access to sexual practices and fetishes
by democratizing access, creating energy in terms of
production and sharing of videos, and allowing subcultures
to find each other. In closing, Seiter observed that all
four presentations touched on the issue of control over
technology and the media environment and that the
circulation of representation and economies of fantasy are
structured in a different way in new media environments.
Out of all the presentations that I
witnessed at Thinking Gender, I
found the most interesting and
endearing presentation to be Julia Himberg’s
discussion of “The Girls Next Door: Television and Playboy’s
New Woman.” In her presentation, she discussed how
the television show, The Girls Next Door, places erotic
and provocative characters in a seemingly familiar and
normal environment. In doing so, the producers of the
show (as well as Playboy itself) are challenging typical
social norms and, consequently, bringing the show (as
well as the business) unprecedented public attention. One
of their main reasons for doing so, Himberg suggests, is
that Playboy – through the show – is trying recreate their
image and market their “new woman.” Before I explain
what Playboy’s “new woman” is, I will first describe the
three main characters of the show. First there is Holly, Hef’s
“true” girlfriend, and the ultimate portrayal of grace and
femininity. Platinum blond and perfectly proportioned,
Holly loves traditionally feminine activities such as baking,
decorating eggs, and arranging gift baskets. Next is Bridget,
who’s a little more down to earth, somewhat ditsy, but still
ultra-feminine. She loves her pets, especially her puppy,
and (like Holly) embraces anything that’s traditionally
labeled as “girly.” Both Holly and Bridget have the look
of 1950s pinup models and adhere to society’s guidelines
about what’s appropriate for the female gender. Kendra,
on the other hand, is quite a different character. Nineteen
and full of spunk, Kendra is always the life of the party.
She loves sports, competitions, and attention, and she
steers clear of the others whenever they do anything too
feminine for her taste. Kendra is the also the main focus
of Himberg’s presentation. Like the other girls, Kendra
is platinum blond and stunningly beautiful. She has the
ultimate (in terms of society’s expectations) physique
and enough sex appeal for a whole room full of women.
However, Kendra is still the target of controversy, mainly
because she resists traditional gender roles and refuses to
be typical. Her masculine behavior, obsession with other
females and their “hot bodies,” and apparent distaste for
most men (except for Hef, whom she occasionally kisses
politely on the cheek) leads Himberg to the conclusion that
her character is implicitly queer. Lesbianism/queerness
is often defined as a rejection of femininity and “normal”
Review of Julia Himberg ‘s “The Girls
Next Door: Television and Playboy’s
New Woman” by Kelly Agpawa
Jennifer Porst earned an undergraduate degree in
Communications and Theatre from the University of Notre Dame,
and an M.S.Ed from Northwestern University. She spent a few
years working in film production for such filmmakers as Ted Hope
and Spike Jonze and is now a graduate student in the Cinema and
Media Studies program at UCLA.
