Lisa Lenoir

Biography

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