Girl of Steel : Essays on Television's Supergirl and Fourth-Wave Feminism

The hit adaptation of Supergirl is tailor-made for pop culture criticism and scholarship in the post-#MeToo era. This essay collection invites a diverse group of scholars to propose answers to the many questions about gender roles and female agency raised in the series.

The CW''s hit adaptation of Supergirl is tailor-made for pop culture criticism and scholarship in the post-#MeToo era. The series features a new take on the classic DC character of Supergirl, updating it for a new audience and the modern moment. With a diverse collection of female characters, it explores different versions of the female experience. No single character embodies a feminist ideal; rather, each character represents certain attributes of the contemporary feminist conversation. This essay collection uses a similar approach, inviting a diverse group of scholars to propose answers to the many questions about gender roles and female agency raised in the series. Fourth-wave feminist theories help elucidate the ways Supergirl exhibits and challenges current sexual politics. Essays analyze how the series engages with conversations about feminism and crafting female identities, Supergirl''s impact on queer audiences and queer studies, and how families and familial bonds craft the show''s feminist narratives, among other topics. In the ever-growing superhero television genre, Supergirl remains unique as viewers watch a female hero with almost godlike powers face the same struggles as the non-superpowered women in the series.