How 2000s Pop Culture Turned Millennial Women Against Themselves
For girls growing up in the 2000s, pop culture meant Britney Spears, the Spice Girls, rom-com heroines, Abercrombie, magazines with paparazzi shots, low-cut jeans, and the rise of digital chatrooms.
In her new book Girl on Girl, Atlantic writer Sophie Gilbert reflects on how these cultural touchstones shaped millennial women’s self-image, relationships, and ambitions.
🎧 Gilbert joined producer Sari Soffer Sukenik on the Mo News Podcast — out now for Premium members only (and available for everyone next Friday!). Join Premium to listen now.
FROM THEN TO NOW
Gilbert traces the shift from third-wave feminism to “post-feminism,” a cultural vibe that told women they were already free — so long as they leaned in, bought the right makeup, and weren’t too loud about injustice.
“I became very suspicious of the word ‘empowerment’ or ‘empowering’ when I was researching the book,” Gilbert said, explaining that “it was being used to sell women something that was absolutely not about giving them power” — from wired bras to horror movies.
Similarly, Gilbert argues that the early internet — while promising connection — instead commodified everything.
From Google Images (created so users could search for J.Lo’s plunging Versace dress) to Facebook (which began as a “hot-or-not” ranking site), the platforms reinforced a culture of objectification and comparison.
“That constant voice of self-loathing. I wasn't born with that voice,” Gilbert shared. “It didn't come from me. It was absorbed at some point from the culture around me. And when you realize what you've learned, what you've taken in it becomes easier to unlearn it and to reject it.”
Sophie argues for a more mindful relationship with the media we consume, and considers what it means to raise the next generation with awareness of how culture shapes us all.
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