Dolly girls: tweenies as artefacts of consumption

The apparent sexualization and exploitation of young girls by the consumer media is a much debated topic in the advanced liberal democracies. This paper will develop the argument that the `consumer-media culture' has established itself as one of the most powerful influences in processes of self-formation for young people, and that a tweenie self can be understood as an artefact of consumption. We will identify and analyse the resources that the consumer media provides to tweenies 'girls aged between 9 and 14' as they seek to fashion a sense of self. The paper presents an analysis of the resources presented to this population of young girls/women by an Australian `appearance' magazine, Dolly. We will argue that these identity resources are limited in scope, are dominated by images of young, slim and attractive females, and position the tweenie self as an artefact of consumption.