Forskningsinteresser

In my academic career, I have focused on the construction of post-feminist subjectivity in neo-liberal societies and its relation to media representations, focusing on the gendered body in mainstream culture. My PhD research investigated Italian post-feminism in the age of Berlusconi, by exploring three case studies about young women and their sexuality that were central to an understanding of ‘Berlusconism’. I have also published on the commodification of lesbian sexuality and of veganism in mainstream visual culture. My research on ‘heteroflexibilty’ in two popular sit-coms explored the temporary commodification of the lesbian other. More recent work has engaged with the commodification and depoliticisation of the vegan diet, through its re-articulation within post-feminist discourses about achieving a healthy, toned, beautiful and sexy body. In this context, veganism becomes not only devoid of political and ethical concerns, but also a way to responsibilise the individual about their own health and well-being.

I am currently interested in ageing femininity and work beyond retirement age; since September 2019, I have engaged in an interdisciplinary research, exploring the discourses about aging entrepreneurial femininity in both popular culture and public policy, as well as how these discourses are embodied, resisted or subverted by older women workers. A further research interest connected with this project is the intersection of sexism and ageism (and - potentially - classism and racism) with issues of digital literacy.