DalSpace Institutional Repository

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 19

Recent Submissions

Access status: Open Access ,
Choosing Men, Losing Women: ‘Pick Me Girl’ Satire and the Enforcement of Intrafeminine Relational Accountability
(2026-04-20) Carneiro, Mariana
This study examines how satirical ‘pick me girl’ imitation videos on Instagram function as participatory proscriptive practices that construct and enforce boundaries of acceptable feminine behavior. The ‘pick me girl’ - a social media figure defined as a woman who seeks men’s approval by rejecting stereotypically feminine traits - has become a widely recognized cultural type, yet the specific behaviors proscribed through satirical imitations, and the mechanisms through which this proscription operates remain underexplored. Through a multi method qualitative analysis of twenty POV ‘pick me girl’ videos, this study found that satirical condemnation is not evenly distributed across ‘pick me’ behaviors. It found that the most harshly criticized performances were those in which a women humiliated another woman. Drawing on theories of hegemonic femininity, stigma, and symbolic boundary-making alongside feminist theories, this study argues that these satires function as a mechanism of relational gender accountability, enforcing a norm of intrafeminine solidarity and stigmatizing its breach as the primary moral violation. Findings suggest that ‘pick me girl’ satirical discourse may be shifting focus from individual feminine identity to relational conduct between women, and contributes to broader understandings of how digital satire participates in the social construction of gendered norms
Access status: Open Access ,
Trans-synaptic interaction with mGluR6 contributes to ELFN1 presynaptic enrichment in rod photoreceptors
(2025) Lee, J; McGowan, RV; Agosto, MA
Access status: Open Access ,
Love at First Site: The Role of Social Media in Modern Dating
(2026-04-20) Wardlaw, Heather
This paper aims to discover how the norms of social media based communication when building a relationship are shared and understood by young adults, and if they are seen as an advantage or hindrance in dating. Through ten interviews with participants aged 20-24, I intended to find out how young adults use social media in their dating lives, what they think and feel about its relevance in dating, and how they understand others’ use of social media in dating. This research found that young adults have varying preferences for the frequency and type of social media communication they use, but always see it as something that is necessary in building a romantic relationship, and that they use the norms to their advantage to present themselves in favourable ways, indicate their interest in someone, and choose the best way to approach a romantic interest. I analyze these findings using Gagnon & Simon’s (1973) Sexual Script, Cooley’s (1902) Looking Glass Self, and Goffman’s (1959) Impression Management to explain young adults’ use of social media norms. I suggest that the increased inclusion of social media in young adults’ sense of self and identity and their understanding of the norms allow them to use social media to their advantage in dating, even when it may not be their preference.
Access status: Open Access ,
Punctuating Political Apathy: How News Coverage Ends the Sentence
(2026-05) Mulligan, Jadeyn
Access status: Open Access ,
Assigning Responsibility: Ethical Fashion in The New York Times
(2026-05-11) Haines, Leah
Access status: Open Access ,
The Nature of Accessibility: Exploring Perspectives on Accessible Environmental Education from Non-Profit Organizations in New Brunswick
(2026) Blair, Brianna Murphy
Accessibility is an ever-growing concept that fundamentally seeks to reduce barriers and create more sustainable societies and environments for all. Despite the evidence that engaging with nature through avenues like environmental education (EE) can lead to significant health and well-being benefits for people and the planet alike, there is little research regarding access for disabled people in educational and environmental spaces. This thesis explores the current approaches, gaps, and barriers to accessibility in EE programming from non-profit organizations in New Brunswick (NB). A bilingual, mixed methods online survey was distributed to non-profit employees with the aid of partner organizations Nature NB and the New Brunswick Environmental Network, and responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative, inductive coding to reveal trends in the data. Results indicate that while accessibility is widely considered a priority, gaps remain in the implementation and consistency of tangible accommodations. Additionally, there are strides to be made toward reducing systemic barriers, such as greater employment of educators with disabilities and improving inclusive design for public infrastructure. These findings support a pattern identified across many fields in which accessibility initiatives must shift from theory to practice through collective action. This research contributes to a gap in disability literature authored by disabled people and helps lay the groundwork for improving accessibility in the EE non-profit sector.