Hard Candy , Revenge, and the “Aftermath” of Feminism

This article discusses the film Hard Candy in relation to debates surrounding the meanings of feminism, post-feminism, and girl power. In particular, it explores the rape-revenge narrative as an articulation of ambiguous representations of young women and their relationship to both second-wave and third-wave feminisms. The central example discussed in this article presents a challenging and unsettling representation of a young teenage girl confronting an apparently sexually predatory photographer in his thirties. This article explores the construction of such a teenage avenger with reference to a range of precedents in both film and television. In particular, the article considers on what terms Hard Candy contradicts the positioning of teenage girls as weak and vulnerable

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