Interpreting Female Child Images in Picture Books from a Genderism Perspective: The Interplay of Image Genealogy and Cultural Discourse

Abstract

With the promotion of gender equality awareness, the presentation of gender in children's literature, especially in picture books, has gradually become one of the hot topics in academic circles and social culture. As an important medium for children's early education, picture books bear the heavy responsibility of shaping children's gender identity and cultural concepts. Especially in the presentation of the image of the girl, gender discourse has deeply influenced the society's expectation and shaping of the role of women through the way of graphic and graphic. The purpose of this study is to analyze the images of girls in picture books from the perspective of sexism, and to explore the interweaving and interaction between their image pedigree and cultural discourse. Through textual analysis of images of girls in classic and modern picture books, this study reveals the historical changes of gendered images and explores how cultural discourse spreads and reconstructs gender norms through picture books as a form of children's literature. First of all, this study analyzes the gender discourse of girl images in picture books through the theoretical framework of sexism, and points out that the construction of girl images in different historical periods and different cultural backgrounds is deeply influenced by social gender concepts. It is found that the image of girls in early picture books is mostly presented as a weak and dependent role, which reflects the subordinate status of women in traditional gender concepts. Modern picture books have gradually introduced more independent, brave and diverse girl images, which reflect the society's redefinition of female roles and the pursuit of gender equality. Secondly, this study also explores the interweaving of gender discourse and cultural values in different picture books through case studies. In classic picture books, gendered discourse is usually expressed through symbols such as color, clothing and action, emphasizing gender differences and fixed roles. In contemporary picture books, the diversity of girl images shows the challenge to gender stereotypes, and the theme of gender equality and female autonomy has gradually become an important content of picture book creation. Through these analyses, this paper reveals the dual functions of picture books as cultural communication tools: on the one hand, it continues the traditional gender discourse; on the other hand, it also becomes an important carrier of gender concept change and social and cultural progress. Finally, this study emphasizes that the images of girls in picture books not only reflect the cultural discourse of gender norms, but also have a profound impact on the construction of children's gender identity and social roles. Therefore, understanding the gender discourse in picture books is of great significance to the creation of children's literature and gender education. The research conclusion of this paper will help the academic circle to further explore the application of sexism in children's literature, especially in the practice and innovation of contemporary picture book creation.