What preteen girls learn about gender roles from celebrities

A face-to-face qualitative interview study was conducted to examine the perceived gender roles and gender identities among 10 to 12 years old girls in Hong Kong. Sixteen girls aged 10 to 12 were asked to take pictures from the media they consumed that illustrated “What girls or women should or should not be; and what girls or women should or should not do”. Analysis of interviews and images captured found that celebrities and characters in popular media play a significant role in socializing preadolescent girls on gender roles and gender identity formation. Celebrities and media characters that caught the interviewees’ attention were mainly female adult entertainers and media characters. Girls showed admiration of specific talents and personalities of the celebrities and media characters. They paid much attention to the private lives of the celebrities. They learned from celebrities and media characters that certain behaviors were not acceptable in the social arena.