Blush (2021) Bending the Elementary: Queering Gender and Sexuality in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Beyond

Looks at the role of television in constructing gender for children and reinforcing traditional gender roles, especially Judith Butler’s “heterosexual matrix”, with lexical analysis of how characters do and don’t escape it. Investigates the ways in which Avatar: the Last Airbender (2005-2008) either upholds or subverts the dichotomies of gender and sexuality, by analyzing the representations of multiple female and male characters, mostly pragmatically but with some semantic analysis. Discusses 90s/2000s post-feminism and “girl power” in children’s media aimed at girls. Also highlights the queering of gendered tropes such as “the Madonna” and the nice girl. Critiques interactions between representations of gender, disability, female villains and desirability. This thesis would be useful for those interested in representations of young women/girls in television, as well as the impact of third wave feminism and post feminism on children’s television.