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Lisa Lenoir
IU Bloomington

Lisa Lenoir

The Media School / Department of Journalism

Expert Bio

Lisa D. Lenoir is a critical/cultural media sociologist who studies race, gender and class. For 17 years she worked as a professional journalist, covering and editing everything from fire to fashion at the Marietta Times in Ohio, The Peoria Journal Star, The Indianapolis Star and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Her research uses a critical and cultural paradigm to examine contemporary cultural phenomena in media discourses. Areas of interest include journalism studies, activism, and identity and consumer culture. Her dissertation explored “woke culture” discourses in Essence; O, The Oprah Magazine; and Teen Vogue. At IU she teaches courses in the Media School’s new Fashion Media program.

She was previously an instructor at Columbia College Chicago for 14 years and an assistant professor at Stephens College in Missouri, teaching fashion communication for seven years. She was a Lillian Kopenhaver Center Fellow in 2017 and won numerous awards as a journalist.

She holds a Ph.D. in media sociology from the University of Missouri-Columbia; an M.S. in international public service from DePaul University; and a B.A. in journalism, with a minor in graphic design, from Indiana University Bloomington.

Areas of Expertise

Race, gender and class in popular and consumer culture, media and society.

Other Information