I Spy with my Feminist Eye is a critical media literacy tool that uses feminist theory, in particular the work of Sarah Ahmed (2017), to facilitate critical analysis of popular media.  Following critical media literacy scholars (Kellner, 2011; Kellner & Share, 2019; Hoechsmann & Poyntz, 2012), this tool recognizes that popular media is a powerful educational force that establishes societal norms and values, constructs and reinforces perceptions of acceptable masculinities and femininities, and encourages empathy for particular identities while omitting and/or dehumanizing others. Moreover, popular media plays a significant role in teaching society about sexual violence, misogyny, and patriarchy (Philliips, 2020). Precisely because popular media acts as a vehicle for these teachings, education aimed at challenging binaried understandings of gender, misogyny, and the normalization of gender based sexual violence requires a critical media literacy approach (Moorhouse & Brooks, 2020).

This resource includes three potential tools that can be used to engage in critical feminist media analysis. Each tool encourages students to consider the way media representations impart messages about people, values, and norms.