i'm posting this purely to incite discussion

...and also because mojitos have rendered my brain incapable of producing my own original thoughts.

from issue 24 of bitch magazine, an interview with susan j. douglas, author of the mommy myth:

"...and then there are these very contradictory TV shows, not unlike what we saw in the 60s. 'Buffy' is an example: that show is loved because it's edgy, but it also speaks to adolescents about the horrors, if you will, of bodily transformation and all of the social, psychic hells that young people go through in high school. And what young girl wouldn't want to watch a show where the only person who can save the world is a teenage girl? It's very compelling.

But of course she saves the world in her low-cut, miniskirted, high-booted outfits -- she still has to be young, blond, slim, and beautiful. It's the 'Charlie's Angels' model. So we're seeing women take on the ability to physically dominate and conquer men -- in cartoons, TV shows, and movies. And yet, they must do so in six-inch heels and skintight clothes and so forth. So it's a very mixed message about empowerment."