Thonging for identity : learning about girlhood, sexuality and feminity in a tween retail space

Children learn from a variety of sources. One of the most powerful pedagogical sites for kids is the consumer sphere. Marketers recognize this and have recently carved out a new consumer niche for those between childhood and adolescence, marking them as tweens. La Senza Corporation, which specializes in women's lingerie, responded to this trend by opening a tween store with a name heavily laden with meanings of sexuality: La Senza Girl. This study will apply a textual analysis to the tween retail space, in an effort to understand the informal pedagogy that takes place within this milieu. While La Senza Girl celebrates girlhood by creating a space that tween girls can call their own, it is important to take stock of the meanings of girlhood being celebrated. This study interrogates La Senza Girl's 'pedagogies' of femininity, sexuality and girlhood