Session Presenter - Katherine Parkin

Katherine Parkin is an assistant professor of History who teaches courses in Women’s History, the History of Sexuality, and Family History. Her new book, Food is Love: Advertising and Gender Roles in Modern America, published by the University of Pennsylvania Press (2006), explores the history of food advertising. As Professor Parkin explains: "I discovered that by asserting shopping and cooking as expressions of love, advertisers helped to establish and reinforce the belief that kitchen work was women's work, even as women's participation in the labor force dramatically increased."

Current research on a new project concerns the spurious freedom of women. Using cultural phenomena like Sadie Hawkins Day and Leap Year, Professor Parkin will analyze how American culture offered safety valves for women to reinforce their adherence to prescribed gender roles.

She received her B.A. in History and Sociology/Anthropology from Lake Forest College and her Ph.D. in History from Temple University (2001). The American/Popular Culture Association awarded Food is Love: Advertising and Gender Roles in Modern America ( University of Pennsylvania Press ) the 2006 Emily Toth Award for best book in feminist popular culture.

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