The season of the vagina : a third-wave feminist analysis of the television series New girl and Girls

This thesis examines two of the female-driven sitcoms from the 2011-2012 season, New Girl and Girls. I analyze both series from a third-wave feminist perspective, looking at how each series portrays its respective lead character, Jess and Hannah, and how each series portrays funny women in general. Through these analyses, I ultimately argue that Jess on New Girl represents a much more promising feminist icon than Hannah on Girls. This is mainly because Jess is driven by self-love and self-confidence while Hannah is so defined by her self-hatred that she becomes difficult for viewers to relate. Most disappointingly, I find that female-driven sitcoms use humor as a weapon to discipline its characters.Department of Communication StudiesLiterature review -- Critical orientation -- New girl : feminist role model or just another manic pixie dream girl? -- Girls : the future of television or whiny, selfish, entitled brats?Thesis (M.A.