The prevalence of Britney Spears as a pre-teen pop culture icon cannot be denied or ignored. Spears, along with her colleagues Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore and many others, are always present in the "Top 40", make frequent appearances on MTV and can often be found on magazine covers and in photos. Spears is especially popular among preteen girls, who buy her records, singing and dancing to the lyrics. These lyrics often deal with love, lust, and sexual topics that some consider too mature for the young girls targeted by Spears' marketing. Young women today are maturing at increasingly earlier ages, and the sexual messages in Spears' songs may simply be satisfying an existing demand for these types of songs. On the other hand, her sexy image and provocative lyrics could create demand among young women, sending harmful messages about what it means to be a young woman in American culture. Is Britney Spears the latest manifestation of "girl power" and does this make her a feminist role model? Or does it perpetuate stereotypes of thin women as sex symbols? Does it provide a healthy outlet for girls to examine their sexuality? Or does he force sexuality on girls before they are ready? These are the questions I am interested in exploring. It is too early to gauge Spears' lasting influence on young women and the feminist movement. However, by drawing comparisons to the girl groups of the early 1960s, whose influence can now be analysed, perhaps Spears can be better understood in the present. In her piece Why The Shirelles Mattered, Susan Douglas reflects on bands like the Shirelles and their impact on the girls who listened to them. Overall, Doug...in the middle of the card...instead of the other critical components to a young girl's development. The sexuality Spears portrays also conforms to a traditional white beauty standard that many girls will struggle to conform to, and this could damage their self-esteem and confidence. Despite her shortcomings as an adequate role model, Britney Spears has a huge amount of pre-teen fans, who are learning about beauty, sexuality, and femininity through her. It will be interesting to see how this generation of girls contribute to the feminist movement as they get older. Works Cited Douglas, Susan. “Why the Shirelles were important.” Read the lives of women, edited by CayoGamber. Second edition, 2000. “Pop idolatry can be dangerous for girls.” Marketing to Women, 13(9): 8, September 2000.http://www.britneyzone.com/