Critical Review: "'Tween' Scene: Resistance within the Mainstream" by Melanie Lowe

Melanie Lowe’s article about the Tween Pop scene turns the idea of “the mainstream” on its head. Typical images of teenyboppers are those of brainless girlie girls who rapidly consume everything fed to them by the media. What Lowe found through talking to some of these girls, however, is that they are feminists in their own right. The teen pop scene is not one concerned with locality. Instead, the people in the scene are joined by common tastes “in everything from clothing to boys to television shows to music” (Lowe 81). As we have discussed on multiple occasions, a subculture’s purpose is to provide a sense of inclusion and commonality among a particular group. Though the tween scene is spread out, these girls find solidarity in the scene’s ability to help them cope with the changes that accompany the adolescent years.

Lowe conducted two Nashville focus groups in the summer of 1999 to discuss girls’ opinions on the pop scene. At all times, Lowe maintains a sense of reflexivity: because she is fifteen years removed from this scene, she fears she will be more recognized as a teacher than a friend in the conversation. Yet, because she has worked with adolescents and was a member of the pop scene herself, she has a certain insider’s perspective. The girls she interviewed were of mixed race and age, but most had grown up in the Nashville suburbs all their lives.

The commonality in both sessions was a lively discussion about Britney Spears, and the role she plays in shaping images of women. The girls called Britney a “slut” and a “whore,” even though they recognized these terms as being degrading. Though the “tweens would never label themselves ‘feminists’” because of the negative connotations associated with the term, they did display some feminist thoughts, such as applauding those singers who sing about independence from a man (Lowe 86). The girls also noticed aspects of gender inequality in their own lives in such circumstances as gym class and cheerleading practice. They also noted the “objectification” of women and how Britney’s skimpy outfits only perpetuate it. They like the Britney that sings about running and hiding in “Sometimes,” but are disgusted by the Britney who asks to be “hit...one more time,” in their opinions a clear sexual innuendo.

Though Lowe is impressed by the political opinions these girls seemed to have about pop, she also provides another explanation for their disapproval of Britney and the like. By “mocking and distorting Britney’s revealing outfits...and exaggerating her sexual display... [they are provided] with an opportunity to explore their own budding sexuality while protected from ‘meaning it’ by the guise of derision” (Lowe 94). In other words, making fun of Britney gives them a safe space in which to imitate her. This dichotomy may be complex, but it seems to provide tweens “with the opportunity to embrace their adolescence with surprising confidence” (Lowe 94).

Discussion Question: Christina Aguilera’s first hit, “Genie in a Bottle,” has perhaps more explicit sexual references than Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time” (for example, “my body’s saying let’s go” and “you’ve gotta rub me the right way”). Why, then, did everyone make such a fuss about Britney? Was it the way she presented herself? Was it because Christina’s seemingly superior vocal ability somehow made vindicated her presentation? What about later on when Christina became the “dirrty” one?