Introduction

Abstract

In the 21st century arguments abound that childhood as we know it is being reshaped by a consumer-media culture. The significance of consumption in the lives of children and young people is not a new phenomenon however the targeting marketing of children has caused widespread public outcry in Western developed nations. The potentially pernicious influence of consumer-media tween culture and the aim to create commercial personae of girls aged between 9 and 14 is of particular concern. Overly sexualised images and messages, the fantasy world of tween, and the ‘new young, feminine girlness’ promoted by a consumer-media tween culture challenge long held discourses and understandings of the innocence and vulnerability of the pre-teen girl (Harris 2005). Yet the influence of consumer-media tween culture is not independent of other important social and cultural influences in the lives of pre-teen girls. The aim of this book is to consider how pre-teen girls’ consumption activities are inherently entwined with social and cultural influences in their everyday lives. In this chapter I introduce my motivation for stepping into the local, social worlds of pre-teen girls to consider these influences and to explore the girls’ desire to belong.