Author(s): Dr Phiona Elizabeth Joshy

Abstract: This paper examines how chick lit serves as a vibrant literary platform for articulating and interrogating postfeminist ideologies. Through a detailed analysis of seminal works such as Sophie Kinsella’s Confessions of a Shopaholic, the study explores how postfeminism emphasis on autonomy, individual choice, and flexible gender roles is reflected and complicated within the genre. The article investigates the genre’s negotiation of family, romance, and career—arguing that chick lit heroines embody the anxieties and opportunities faced by modern women who must manoeuvre self-presentation, financial independence, and relationship ideals in a market-driven, pluralist society.

Keywords: Chick lit, Post feminism, consumerism, self-presentation

Article Info: Received: 04 Oct 2025; Received in revised form: 05 Nov 2025; Accepted: 09 Nov 2025; Available online: 12 Nov 2025

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.106.6