This provocative new edition examines the mass media as economic and cultural institutions that shape our social identities, particularly regarding gender, race and class. A comprehensive introductory section outlines the book's integrated approach to media studies, which incorporates three distinct but related areas of investigation: the political economy of production, textual analysis and audience response.

"A scathing reexamination of the lives of nine female celebrities in the 2000s, and the sexist, exploitative culture that took them down. Welcome to celebrity culture in the early aughts: the reign of Perez Hilton, celebrity sex tapes, and dueling tabloids fed by paparazzi who were willing to do anything to get the shot. It was a time when the Internet was still the Wild West, and when slut-shaming, fat-shaming, and revenge porn were all considered...