A mixed‐methods analysis of stereotypical female librarian representation in memes

Abstract

AbstractThis essay is a mixed‐methods analysis of stereotypical female librarian representation in memes.BackgroundLibrarianship has been a female‐dominated field since the 19th century. Because of the influx of women, the field has been seen as feminized, which means that it was seen in a negative light and less important than other jobs. Feminization led to two predominant female librarian stereotypes: the spinster librarian and the sexy librarian. Under the pretext of humor, internet memes of stereotypical librarians are damaging to women in librarianship.ObjectiveThe purpose of this essay was to explore how female librarians were stereotypically represented in memes and why they were characterized thusly.MethodsQuantitative information concerning how female librarians were represented in memes was compiled through a content analysis, entered into the input form, and tallied using Microsoft Excel. The extent of the representation was also measured through quantitative means by assessing the number of available memes. Finally, the reasons why female librarians were represented as such was explored using a feminist theory framework.ResultsThe memes from the sample stressed certain traits of female librarians such as tight clothing, rigid postures, and stern expressions. The images framed these traits as the most important qualities of female librarians. The sexy librarian stereotype was much more common than the spinster. More importantly, perhaps, was the crossover of representation, which created a new version that blended the spinster and sexy librarian trope. Images must be read in terms of the context; the images in the memes showed mainly objectification and gender stereotyping.ConclusionThe memes from the research sample demonstrated that there was still a significant amount of stereotyping and perpetuation of the feminization of librarianship. Representing female librarians in such a way indicated that her contributions were marginal, that she was only in the library to be objectified. The humorous text of the memes acted as an attempt to make light of the stereotyped imagery, but instead of being ironic and or intellectual, it served to propagate the stereotype. By treating female librarians in this manner, feminization of the profession continued and was maintained in the meme world.