Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture - Hardcover

Orenstein, Peggy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061711527 ISBN 13: 9780061711527

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2011

Synopsis

Peggy
Orenstein, acclaimed author of the groundbreaking New York Times
bestsellers Girls & Sex and Schoolgirls, offers a
radical, timely wake-up call for parents, revealing the dark side of a pretty
and pink culture confronting girls at every turn as they grow into adults.

Sweet
and sassy or predatory and hardened, sexualized girlhood influences our
daughters from infancy onward, telling them that how a girl looks matters more
than who she is. Somewhere between the exhilarating rise of Girl Power in the
1990s and today, the pursuit of physical perfection has been recast
as the source of female empowerment. And commercialization has spread
the message faster and farther, reaching girls at ever-younger ages. But how
dangerous is pink and pretty, anyway? Being a princess is just make-believe;
eventually they grow out of it . . . or do they?

In
search of answers, Peggy Orenstein visited Disneyland, trolled American Girl
Place, and met parents of beauty-pageant preschoolers tricked out like Vegas
showgirls. The stakes turn out to be higher than she ever imagined. From
premature sexualization to the risk of depression to rising rates of
narcissism, the potential negative impact of this new girlie-girl culture is
undeniable—yet armed with awareness and recognition, parents can effectively
counterbalance its influence in their daughters' lives.

About this title

About the Author

Peggy Orenstein is the author of the New York Times bestseller Waiting for Daisy: A Tale of Two Continents, Three Religions, Five Infertility Doctors, an Oscar, an Atomic Bomb, a Romantic Night, and One Woman's Quest to Become a Mother and Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self-Esteem, and the Confidence Gap. A contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine, she has been published in, among others, USA Today; Vogue; Parenting; O, The Oprah Magazine; Salon; and The New Yorker. Orenstein lives in Northern California with her husband and their daughter, Daisy.

From the Back Cover

The acclaimed author of the groundbreaking bestseller Schoolgirls reveals the dark side of pink and pretty: the rise of the girlie-girl, she warns, is not that innocent.

Pink and pretty or predatory and hardened, sexualized girlhood influences our daughters from infancy onward, telling them that how a girl looks matters more than who she is. Somewhere between the exhilarating rise of Girl Power in the 1990s and today, the pursuit of physical perfection has been recast as a source'the source'of female empowerment. And commercialization has spread the message faster and farther, reaching girls at ever-younger ages.

But, realistically, how many times can you say no when your daughter begs for a pint-size wedding gown or the latest Hannah Montana CD? And how dangerous is pink and pretty anyway'especially given girls' successes in the classroom and on the playing field? Being a princess is just make-believe, after all; eventually they grow out of it. Or do they? Does playing Cinderella shield girls from early sexualization'or prime them for it? Could today's little princess become tomorrow's sexting teen? And what if she does? Would that make her in charge of her sexuality'or an unwitting captive to it?

Those questions hit home with Peggy Orenstein, so she went sleuthing. She visited Disneyland and the international toy fair, trolled American Girl Place and Pottery Barn Kids, and met beauty pageant parents with preschoolers tricked out like Vegas showgirls. She dissected the science, created an online avatar, and parsed the original fairy tales. The stakes turn out to be higher than she'or we'ever imagined: nothing less than the health, development, and futures of our girls. From premature sexualization to the risk of depression to rising rates of narcissism, the potential negative impact of this new girlie-girl culture is undeniable'yet armed with awareness and recognition, parents can effectively counterbalance its influence in their daughters' lives.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter is a must-read for anyone who cares about girls, and for parents helping their daughters navigate the rocky road to adulthood.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0061711527
• ISBN 13: 9780061711527
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 244