Abstract
Adolescence is a difficult and confusing time for girls. As they become women, girls are encouraged to simultaneously forge their own identities and conform to society’s expectations. Societal expectations are communicated in part by media, and sf media in particular provides images of potential or desired futures. This article examines the depiction of female adolescence in the Star Trek episode ‘Miri’ and the Lost in Space episode ‘The Magic Mirror’. Adolescence in these episodes is a terrifying process defined by the onset of sexual identity and mediated by stereotypical femininity and the acceptance of romantic attention from men.