Just the Beginning

In the future, I see the dichotomy between self-expression and commodification in girlhood increasing.  Technology will play a role on both sides of the continuum. With premeditated acts of marketing as evidenced by AM&M, the materialism and identity by consumption will increase further commodifying girlhood. I can foresee personalized targeted advertisements being sent to one's smart phone. Women as a market force will also increase.  The increase in households headed by a woman and more women enrolled in college than men giving them increased incomes in the future are some of the factors that make women a lucrative market. Sites like she-conomy have done their research and corporations will target women's interpretation of femininity in order to sell their products. The perception of need to create identity will continue to be generated by corporations.

Opportunities for self-expression and production will also increase. SNS, blogs, and other formats we haven't imagined yet will give girls opportunities to broadcast their unique brand of femininity.  More counter-culture groups will spring up adding diverse voices to participate in defining girlhood.  Beauty, while still being a focus of identity, will allow for more more variances encompassing individual and ethnic differences. Furthermore, globalism, migration, and multiculturalism will enhance diversity. After watching the Olympics and seeing diverse beauty as well as diverse cultural traits, for example, the diva-hood of the Russians, the stoicism of the Chinese, society will  accept more interpretations of normal female expression making it less west-centric. Additionally, appearance as being a conscious choice instead of mainstream consumerism will flourish with counter-culture groups. A downside to the individualism and counter-culture groups is that they may further increase the  exclusionary behavior of girls towards one another, de facto creating a greater variety of cliques instead of bringing women and girls together as a community.

As in the case of Nancy, Gillian, and Kim, the choice of sexual partners will continue to shape identity reflecting family dynamics and socio-cultural positioning.  Early or unplanned pregnancy curtails educational and employment opportunities. Also divorce, often shrinks the resources available to a woman. These situations have a psychological as well as an economic cost. I believe the ratio of at-risk girls will increase. As more women come out as lesbians, diverse sexual identities will also become more commonplace and continue to play a role in girlhood.

While political feminism is cited as not a priority, hopefully a woman president is a reality. A woman who is able to employ new medias may be able to unify diverse groups. Girlhood studies will have a fertile future as girlhood is exhibited through both self-expression and commodification.