‘Who’s the girl with the kissin’ lips?’ Constructions of class, popular culture and agentic girlhood in Girl, Princess, Jackie and Bunty in the 1960s

Abstract

This article focuses on four British periodicals incorporating or dominated by comic strips aimed at girls of different ages: Girl (Hulton Press, 1951−64), Princess (Fleetway, 1960−67), Jackie (DC Thomson, 1964−93) and Bunty (DC Thomson, 1958−2001). It will explore how these titles depicted agentic girlhood, class and popular culture. The periodicals show varying degrees of engagement with popular culture, varying according to adult constructions of girls as vulnerable and in need of protection. Some are more permissive and the voice of the girl appears within them, in others there is a more paternalistic approach. This has an impact, in turn, on the kind of content that they offered.