Emily Deering Crosby

Assistant Professor of Communication University of Mary Washington

  • Fredericksburg VA

Emily Deering Crosby is a rhetorical critic of popular culture with research concentrations in feminist criticism.

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Spotlight

2 min

Oh, Ozempic … Is THIN Back In?

After decades of what seemed like progress away from the obsession for “wellies” and “thigh gaps” the thin-is-in mentality seems to be creeping back into the spotlight to weigh on women’s minds – especially on social media. Channeling the renewed fascination with and focus on slimness, University of Mary Washington Assistant Professor of Communication Emily Crosby, and Associate Professors of Communication Adria Goldman and Elizabeth Johnson-Young, presented a talk titled "Social Media and the Changing Current of Health Messaging and Debates." Crosby's presentation, "Ozempic is Cheating!: Articulating a Digital Turn in Diet Culture," looks at the discourse surrounding Ozempic on social media. Employing feminist rhetorical criticism, Crosby analyzes posts and commentary to identify themes and conventions of analog and digital diet culture. This research articulates the digital turn in the "cult of thinness," to expose how medical injectable weight loss drugs undermine the body positive movement by invoking clinical technology as ethos. Goldman's presentation, "#SocialSupport: Examining the Informative and Emotional Functions of Bariatric Surgery Support Groups on Facebook," investigates the functions of digital support groups in assisting with mental well-being and emotional regulation for people considering, undergoing or recuperating from weight loss surgery. This research examines Facebook’s ability to function as both an informative and emotional resource for the bariatric surgery community. Johnson-Young's presentation, "Sugar, Snacks and Weight: An Examination of Posts and Parent Reactions to the Challenges of Nutritional Health Norms on the Growing Intuitive Eaters Instagram," examined posts and comments on an influencer's account. The research is rooted in both health behavior theory and non-evaluative and trust-based communication around food and nutrition. Preliminary findings show a variety of themes regarding reactions to the influencer's posts, from anger and resistance to relief and excitement. Weight loss, wellness and the enormous amount of attention this topic is getting has journalists looking for answers.  And if you're covering or are looking to know more we can help. All three University of Mary Washington experts are available to speak with media simply click on an icon now to arrange an interview today.

Emily Deering CrosbyAdria GoldmanElizabeth Johnson-Young

2 min

Two sets of rules? Black female athletes face an unfair amount of pressure when it comes to the Olympics

The Olympics have come and gone. As the world watched top athletes from across the globe compete, one key takeaway was not a new world record or a perfect 10 on the floor – but that Black female athletes faced unfair scrutiny and an obvious double standard when it came to issues of stress and mental health, policies and protocol, uniforms and hair, and more. UMW Assistant Professor of Communication Emily Deering Crosby's previous research has focused on how the media has portrayed Black female Olympians like Lolo Jones and Gabby Douglas. Here's what she had to say:  There were numerous instances this summer of world class women athletes being sexualized, penalized, mocked and dismissed for a variety of issues from uniforms to motherhood to naturally occurring testosterone levels to mental health to archaic policy. This was particularly salient for Black women athletes, which is worth highlighting, since racism and sexism often function in tandem ways that many people misunderstand as “normal” or “insignificant” since it can be pervasive. My work aims to root out, point out and amplify why these practices are wrong, why they keep women from being appropriately valued, and how sports culture can be better and thus enhance communication scholarship and everyday practices by media, fans and athletes themselves. The silver lining in the most recent Games is how digital culture, particularly social media, gives athletes themselves a voice. Further, fans and athletes alike are becoming more knowledgeable of these problematic policies and are bravely and creatively calling them out. Thus, athletes such as Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, Sha’Carri Richardson, Allyson Felix, Norway’s women’s beach handball team, etc. are key case studies to understand these communication and structural phenomena more deeply and ultimately bring more critical awareness and justice to women’s sports.” If you’re a journalist looking to know more about this important topic – then let our experts help with your questions and coverage. Assistant Professor of Communication Emily Deering Crosby is a rhetorical critic of popular culture with research concentrations in feminist criticism – and she’s a go-to expert on this topic for national media. Dr. Crosby is available, simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.

Emily Deering Crosby

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Biography

What do country stars like Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton, female Olympians and fundamentalist Christian mommy bloggers have in common? They’ve all been the focus of research by Emily Deering Crosby, a rhetorical critic of popular culture with research concentrations in intersectional feminist criticism, critical sport study, digital rhetoric and country music.

Dr. Crosby’s recent projects and publications are focused on sport culture and controversy, women in country music and negotiations of identity in digital spaces. Her book project, based on her dissertation, explores the rhetorical strategies employed by country music stars Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Bobbie Gentry and Loretta Lynn during the “second wave” of feminism, as means to temper radical sentiment and construct palatable personae amidst conservative gatekeepers.

A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh’s Ph.D. program in communication, Dr. Crosby also earned a Ph.D. certificate in gender, sexuality and women’s studies. She also holds a master’s degree from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and a bachelor’s degree from Allegheny College, where she was recently inducted into the college’s Athletics Hall of Fame, as the Allegheny Gators women’s lacrosse all-time leader.

Areas of Expertise

Popular Culture
Feminist Criticism
Critical Sport Study
Digital Rhetoric
Women in Country Music

Accomplishments

Office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies Grants

2017

GSWS Professionalism and Research Support Grant

2017

Year of Diversity Research Grant for Campus Initiatives

2017

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Education

University of Pittsburgh

Ph.D.

Rhetoric and Communication

2017

Indiana University

M.A.

Communication Studies

2011

Allegheny College

B.A.

Communication

2006

Affiliations

  • National Communication Association : Member
  • Rhetoric Society of America : Member
  • Organization for Research on Women and Communication : Member
  • Popular Culture Association : Member

Media Appearances

‘J-term’ Helps Students Engage, Gain Credits

UMW Voice  online

2021-01-13

Assistant Professors Adria Goldman and Emily Crosby introduced a Professional Communication course for students who expressed an interest in public relations and needed help with résumés and portfolios. [...] “Working in the virtual space can be challenging,” Crosby said, “but we remind students that digital technologies are continuously being used in professional communication in all areas.”

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Communication Faculty Present Research on the CW’s ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ at National Conference

EagleEye  online

2020-12-02

Adria Goldman, Emily Crosby, and Elizabeth Johnson-Young presented a panel at the National Communication Association’s virtual conference. The paper session, “You Can’t Call Them Crazy”: Framing and Considerations of Gender, Sexuality, and Mental Health in “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” shared the panelists’ research from a variety of lenses and methodologies regarding the messaging and impact of the CW musical-comedy television series that ran from 2015-2019.

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Crosby Presents Two Papers at National Communication Association Conference

EagleEye  online

2019-11-19

Emily Deering Crosby, Assistant Professor of Communication, presented her research last Thursday and Friday at the National Communication Association Conference in Baltimore, MD. The title of her research presentation in the Feminist and Women’s Studies Division was “‘She went too far’: Exploring Patriarchal Critiques of Feminist Comedians Michelle Wolf and Samantha Bee,” which discussed patriarchal themes of manufactured catfights, double standards, and protection in critiques of feminist comedy.

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Articles

Chased by the Double Bind: Intersectionality and the Disciplining of Lolo Jones

Women's Studies in Communication

Emily Deering Crosby

2016

Jeré Longman’s controversial 2012 New York Times article criticizing track star and U.S. Olympian Lolo Jones, which reached more than 30 million readers, contributes to the hegemonic ideologies that deride female athletes through double binds. Yet due to Jones’s gender, race, class, and sexuality, traditional double binds do not offer an adequate framework. Employing an intersectional approach that counters a tendency to highlight the experiences of privileged White women, I articulate the binds of feminine/athlete, poor/hustler, and virginal/exotic to complicate feminist communication scholars’ notion of the double bind and address interlocking, inseparable oppressions. Highlighting the significance of nuanced double binds that bridge feminist criticism and critical sport study, I consider the potential for feminist analysis to respond to the bias and backlash experienced by celebrity sportswomen.

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Faux feminism: France's veil ban as orientalism

Journal of International Women's Studies

Emily Deering Crosby

2014

In the early months of 2010, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy told Parliament that the burqa is "not welcome" in France, citing this as a step to defend France against extremists. Employing Edward Said's theoretical notion of "Orientalism" as means of discussing the "Other," I argue for a more critical look at France's role in limiting religious freedom and denying notions of female agency. More specifically, I urge a more diversified view of feminism and female identity outside of the Western paradigm. By viewing the veil as a rhetorically universal symbol of oppression, Western feminists and political figures are missing the opportunity to recognize the diversity of religious adherence and feminist agency that exist in a variety of forms, some of which are highlighted in this paper. While touting the ban's role in promoting gender equality, Sarkozy employs "faux feminism" - a specious appropriation of feminist sentiment to rationalize Orientalist aims. In effect, this approach reifies Muslim women as victims in need of Western "heroes" while promoting a unique form of sexist Islamophobia.

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A Quiver Full of Mommy Blogs: Ideological Subversion and Reinforcement of Mothering Models Online

Master's Thesis Indiana University (IUPUI)

Emily Deering Crosby

2011

In this study, ideological criticism combined with use of muted group theory are employed to analyze four Quiverfull mothering blogs in order to unveil the models of mothering and maternal messages that emerge from the discourse. The Quiverfull, comprised of fundamentalist Christians who advocate prolific birth rates and strict traditional gender norms, propose a very narrowly defined view of motherhood. Therefore, the goal of this study is to analyze how Quiverfull mothers choose to construct and maintain their own rhetorical vision of motherhood through mommy blogs, in an effort to understand if Quiverfull mothers also struggle to “get it right” like so many other contemporary mothers, faced with cultural contradictions. The findings unveil that Quiverfull mothers struggle with many of the same ideological pressures that mainstream mothers endure such as being almost entirely responsible for childrearing, wanting to find time for themselves amidst society's demands that children become a mother's “everything,” and negotiating their role as mothers in the public sphere.

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