The sexy librarian

From Citizendium
Revision as of 06:27, 10 April 2022 by George Swan (talk | contribs) (first draft here)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
According to scholars the stereotype of the sexy librarian has surged to become the most popular representation of librarians, in online videos.[1][2]

The sexy librarian is a name given to representations of librarians, where the librarian shows, behind a business-like surface attire, an underlying sexuality.

Ashanti White, author of the 2012 book, Not Your Ordinary Librarian: Debunking the Popular Perceptions of Librarians, wrote that the shushing buttoned-down, older librarian was the most common depiction of librarians, in fiction, followed by the sexy librarian] stereotype.[1] Ramirose Ilene Attebury, in Library Philosophy and Practice reported she found that the sexy librarian stereotype was more popular than the old maid stereotype, in YouTube videos.[2]

In 2006 Microsoft introduced an early version of what was to become the bing search engine that used over 600 pre-recorded video clips of actor Janina Gavankar, portraying the character of "Ms Dewey", described as a sexy librarian character.[3][4]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Ashanti White. Not Your Ordinary Librarian: Debunking the Popular Perceptions of Librarians, Elsevier, p. 7-8, 26, 89, 104-105, 141-152, 177. Retrieved on 2017-11-19. “Although the spinster image of librarians persisted, the sexy librarian emerged as a formidable rival. She found her way into advertisements and, surprisingly, into politics with the emergence of Sarah Palin. Conservative yet fashionable in dress, she served as a voice for conventional values. That coupled with her recognizable frames made her an example of what the sexy librarian looks like.”
  2. 2.0 2.1 Ramirose Ilene Attebury. Perceptions of a Profession: Librarians and Stereotypes in Online Videos, Library Philosophy and Practice, October 2010. Retrieved on 2017-11-19.
  3. Miriam E. Sweeney. Not just a pretty (inter)face: A critical analysis of Microsoft's 'Ms. Dewey', University of Illinois. Retrieved on 2017-11-27. “As one of my co-workers typed in different words and phrases, the “Ms. Dewey” character (pre-recorded film footage of actress, Janina Gavankar) engages in flirtatious banter, sometimes becoming irritated or condescending if too much time passes before entering a search term: “Hellloooo... type something here!””
  4. Miriam E. Sweeney. Digital Sociologies, Policy Press, p. 401. Retrieved on 2017-11-27.
Cite error: <ref> tag with name "LeadPipe" defined in <references> is not used in prior text.