America is a corporatized society defined by a culture of consumerism, and the youth market is one of the groups that corporations target most. By marketing directly to children, through television, movies, radio, video games, toys, books, and fast food, advertisers have produced a 'kinderculture'. In this eye-opening book, editor Shirley R. Steinberg reveals the profound impact that our purchasing-obsessed culture has on our children and argues that the experience of childhood has been reshaped into something that is prefabricated.

1 Kinderculture: Mediating, Simulacralizing, and Pathologizing the New Childhood Shirley R. Steinberg 2 Teens and Vampires: From BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER to TWILIGHT's Vampire Lovers Douglas Kellner 3 Is Disney Good for Your Kids? How Corporate Media Shape Youth Identity in the Digital Age Henry A. Giroux and Grace Pollock 4 Selling Subculture: An Examination of Hot Topic Sarah Hanks 5 Queer Eye for the Straight-Acting Guy: The Performance of Masculinity in Gay Youth Culture and Popular Culture Dennis Carlson 6 FLUID: Teen and Youth Identity Construction in Cyberspace Donyell L. Roseboro 7 Tween-Method and the Politics of Studying Kinderculture Ingvild Kvale Sorenssen and Claudia Mitchell 8 From Miley Merchandising to Pop Princess Peddling: The Hannah Montana Phenomenon Ruthann Mayes-Elma 9 Corporatizing Sports: Fantasy Leagues, the Athlete as Commodity, and Fans as Consumers Daniel E. Chapman and John A. Weaver 10 Hip Hop and Critical Pedagogy: From Tupac to Master P to 50 Cent and Beyond Greg Dimitriadis 11 McDonald's, Power, and Children: Ronald McDonald/Ray Kroc Does It All for You Joe L. Kincheloe 12 The Book of Barbie: After Half a Century, the Bitch Continues to Have Everything Shirley R. Steinberg 13 HOME ALONE and Bad to the Bone: The Advent of a Postmodern Childhood Joe L. Kincheloe About the Contributors and Editor Notes Index