How ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ May Shape Perceptions on the Culture of Mathematics
Sarah J. Greenwald and Jill E. Thomley

Proceedings of Bridges 2024: Mathematics, Art, Music, Architecture, Culture
Pages 77–84
Regular Papers

Abstract

Popular culture may shape how society perceives the culture of mathematics. This, in turn, may impact participation in mathematics. The Sex Lives of College Girls is a comedy-drama series consisting of approximately 30-minute episodes. It won a 2023 Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment award but the rich representations related to mathematically talented characters are not so empowering. We analyze the mathematical representations in the first two seasons using textual analysis and a popular culture framework as we discuss the sociocultural messaging.

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