Patricia Leavy is an acclaimed pop-feminist author and expert commentator as well as a leading qualitative researcher with a dozen books to her credit. After receiving several prestigious awards and fellowships Dr. Leavy earned her PhD in Sociology at Boston College in 2002. She has since held a professorship in Sociology and served as Founding Director of the Gender Studies Program at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. She has also served as the Chairperson of the Sociology & Criminology Department at Stonehill College. Dr. Leavy previously taught at Boston College, Northeastern University and Curry College.
As a pop culture and women’s studies expert, Dr. Leavy has spent nearly a decade conducting interview research with young women on topics including sexuality, relationships and body image. She is the author of the novel Low-Fat Love (2011) which explores women’s identity-development in the context of popular culture, why some women are attracted to men who withhold their support and the psychology of unhealthy relationships (including with one’s self). She is also the author of Iconic Events: Media, Politics and Power in Retelling History (2007) which investigates the collective memory practices surrounding Titanic, the Shirtwaist Factory Fire, Pearl Harbor, the Columbine High School Shootings and September 11th. Iconic Events emphasizes the gendered nature of the media reporting, political appropriations and pop culture adaptations of these events. For example, the book unpacks the use of Titanic in the women’s suffrage movement. Dr. Leavy is also the coauthor of Feminist Research Practice: A Primer (2007) and co-editor of Hybrid Identities: Theoretical and Empirical Examinations (2008).
As a sociologist, pop culture and women’s studies expert Dr. Leavy has appeared on national and local television (for example, Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs Tonight) and is regularly quoted in international, national and local print news (for example, The New York Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, The LA Times).
Dr. Leavy is also a leading qualitative and arts-based researcher and has published many cutting-edge research methods books. She is the author of Essentials of Transdisciplinary Research Practice: Using Problem-Centered Methodologies (2011), Oral History: Understanding Qualitative Research (2011) and Method Meets Art: Arts-Based Research Practice (2009). She is the coauthor of The Practice of Qualitative Research 1st and 2nd editions (2005, 2011) and she is co-editor of the Handbook of Emergent Methods (2008), Emergent Methods in Social Research (2006) and Approaches to Qualitative Research: A Reader on Theory and Practice (2004). She is also the editor for the prestigious Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research (forthcoming). Dr. Leavy’s books have been very well reviewed, received numerous accolades and have been nominated for several book awards.
Oxford University Press hand-picked Dr. Leavy to serve as series editor for their book series Understanding Qualitative Research. Dr. Leavy is also the series editor for the cutting-edge Sense Publishers book series Social Fictions.
In recognition of her extraordinary contributions to the discipline of sociology The New England Sociological Association named Leavy the 2010 “New England Sociologist of the Year.”
Official Interview Release: Press Kit
What’s Love Got to do With It?
POP CULTURE EXPERT DISPELS THE ‘BAD BOY’ MYTH AND REVEALS DANGERS OF ‘LOW-FAT LOVE’
We’re a nation addicted to our favorite pop culture idols including the Kardashians, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and, of course, Snooki and The Situation! We can’t seem to get enough of them and their latest escapades. But are they doing more harm than good?
Pop culture and women’s studies expert Patricia Leavy, PhD, says, “When it comes to well-being, pop culture is like junk food and should be consumed in moderation. They warp our view of healthy relationships causing us to believe melodrama and bad-boys are good for us, and women are not complete without a man on their arm. The result is we look for our self-esteem from outside sources instead of the only place it can come – from within.”
Dr. Leavy is an acclaimed women’s interest author and expert commentator as well as a leading qualitative researcher with a dozen books to her credit. She has made appearances on national television shows, is frequently quoted in the press and is the author of the new novel Low-Fat Love (2011) which explores women’s identity-development in the context of popular culture, why some women are attracted to men who withhold their support, and the psychology of unhealthy relationships.
With conviction and insight, Dr. Leavy can give expert commentary on:
- Why women settle in relationships
- What ‘low-fat’ love means
- What drives women who try to fix relationships that aren’t working
- The fatal ‘bad boy attraction’
- Top signs of an unhealthy relationship
- What women can do to avoid low-fat love
- How pop culture influences people’s romantic relationships
- How can women, and young girls, build self-esteem
- Why girl friends may be more important for our mental health than our male partners
Patricia Leavy is an acclaimed pop-feminist author and expert commentator as well as a leading qualitative and arts-based researcher with a dozen books to her credit. After receiving several prestigious awards and fellowships Dr. Leavy earned her PhD in Sociology at Boston College. She has since held a professorship in Sociology and served as Founding Director of the Gender Studies Program at Stonehill College in Easton, MA. Dr. Leavy has appeared on national and local television including Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs Tonight and is regularly quoted in such international, national and local print news as The New York Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, and The LA Times. In recognition of her extraordinary contributions to the discipline of sociology, The New England Sociological Association named Dr. Leavy the 2010 “New England Sociologist of the Year.”
Website: www.patricialeavy.com
Low-Fat Love is available on: www.amazon.com. www.barnesandnoble.com and www.sensepublishers.com.
