Date of Award
5-1-2014
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
History
First Advisor
Joe Austin
Committee Members
Carolyn Eichner, Lisa Silverman
Keywords
Ilsa, Nazi Chic, Nazisploitation, Popular Culture, Pornography, Women
Abstract
This thesis examines the Nazisploitation trope of the Ilsa-type within its political, social, and cultural context. A product of the 1950s men's adventure magazines, the Ilsa-type continues to be a familiar and popular character within American pop culture. Popularized through the 1970s torture porn, Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS, the character has since influenced mainstream film, fashion, and various other popular culture outlets. This thesis discusses why such an ahistorical figure has seized hold of public imagination, how she has developed in the decades since her first appearance, and why she matters. A work of feminist historical scholarship, this thesis aims to explain one of the more puzzling Nazisploitation archetypes.
Recommended Citation
Jones, Catherine L., "Sex-Crazed and Bloodthirsty: The Misrepresentation of Female Nazis in American Popular Culture" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 463.
https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/463
Included in
Instructional Media Design Commons, United States History Commons, Women's Studies Commons