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User:Geo Swan/Sexy librarian

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The "sexy librarian" is a cultural based description that entered popular culture in the late 20th Century.[1][2][3][4] Jeanette C. Smith, author of the Laughing librarian, called the sexy librarian an "anti-stereotype".

In her 2012 book, Not Your Ordinary Librarian: Debunking the Popular Perceptions of Librarians, Ashanti White described how she analyzed the increasing eroticization of the popular image of librarians.[5] She found, for instance, that from 1979 to 1989 there were 49 erotic novels published that featured librarians as erotic figures. She claimed the sexy librarian depiction of librarians was the second most popular depiction, in popular culture, after that of the prudish old maid librarian. In 2010, Ramirose Ilene Attebury, in Library Philosophy and Practice reported she found that the sexy librarian depiction was more popular than the prudish old maid deptiction, in YouTube videos.[6]

The meme was popular enough, and well understood enough, that when then obscure Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin started to receive wider press attention when John McCain chose her to be his Presidential running-mate, the press described her as an example of the sexy librarian look.[5]

In 2011 a rock musical was produced, entitled "Sexy Librarian: File under Rock Musical".[1]

Use of sexy librarian characters in computer interfaces

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An early version of Microsoft's Bing search engine employed clips of actor Janina Gavankar, portraying the character of "Ms Dewey", described as a sexy librarian character in Miriam Sweeney's PhD thesis.[7][8] Sweeney noted how sexualized Microsoft made the character, including having her wear a low-cut suit, use sexually provocative innuendo in her prerecorded dialogue, and even have her an S&M whip. Critics challenged the Ms Dewey interface.[9][10]

References

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  1. ^ a b Jeanette C. Smith (2012). The Laughing Librarian: A History of American Library Humor. McFarland. p. 5, 33, 43, 172. ISBN 9780786490561. Retrieved 2017-11-19. I have found that in library humor, each of the librarian types also bears some relation to a librarian stereotype, including the shushing little old lady with the bun, the pre-stereotype of the male scholar-librarian, the new stereotype of the library superhero, or the anti-stereotype of the sexy librarian.
  2. ^ Jennifer A. Bartlett (2014). "New and Noteworthy: Coming to Terms with Librarian Stereotypes and Self-Image". Library Leadership and Management. Vol. 29, no. 1. p. 3. Archived from the original on 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2017-11-27. To that end, the collection features 12 essays covering key topics including librarianship as a "pink collar" profession; LGBTQ issues; perceptions of librarians of color; the "sexy librarian" and "cat lady librarian" tropes; and student opinions of librarians.
  3. ^ Gina Schlesselman-Tarango (2017). "How Cute! Race, Gender, and Neutrality in Libraries". Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research. Vol. 12, no. 1. Retrieved 2017-11-27. Indeed, this flavor of cuteness might be understood as the aesthetic that finds expression somewhere between the "sexy" and the "spinster" librarian stereotypes.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ David Squires (2014). "Don't miss this author interview about librarian representations in porn + the sexy librarian stereotype with David Squires!". Librarian Wardrobe. Archived from the original on 2014-05-30. Retrieved 2017-11-27. My chapter argues that the sexy librarian stereotype emerged at the end of the twentieth century from the confluence between sexual liberation, free speech movements and print pornography.
  5. ^ a b Ashanti White (2012). "Not Your Ordinary Librarian: Debunking the Popular Perceptions of Librarians". Elsevier. p. 7-8, 26, 89, 104-105, 141-152, 177. ISBN 9781780632964. Retrieved 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.
  6. ^ Ramirose Ilene Attebury (October 2010). "Perceptions of a Profession: Librarians and Stereotypes in Online Videos". Library Philosophy and Practice. Retrieved 2017-11-19.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Miriam E. Sweeney (2013). "Not just a pretty (inter)face: A critical analysis of Microsoft's 'Ms. Dewey'" (PDF). University of Illinois. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-08-02. Retrieved 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!"
  8. ^ Miriam E. Sweeney (2016). "Digital Sociologies". Policy Press. p. 401. ISBN 9781447329015. Retrieved 2017-11-27. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |editors= ignored (|editor= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Ms. Dewey – a new search engine from Microsoft". Librarian in black. 2006-10-30. Retrieved 2017-11-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Elinor Mills (2006-10-17). "Forget the butler, I'll take the sexy librarian". CNet. Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2017-11-27. She also pretends to lasso the user and reel him or her in. But most of the time she stands around alternating between looking bored or being coquettish.
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