Cinderella Ate My Daughter

by Peggy Orenstein Narrated by Peggy Orenstein

Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

OCTOBER 2012 - AudioFile

American culture pushes girls to focus on appearance rather than character, pleasing others rather than themselves and weakening themselves rather than achieving their goals, says a journalist who surveys a fascinating array of scientific, commercial, and mass media influences. Challenging parents to examine these issues, Peggy Orenstein uses a chatty first-person style (she has a daughter) and intelligent irony as she describes her analysis of phenomena like Miley Cyrus, the color pink, Disney princess products, and provocative findings from developmental/gender studies. Her reading of her fast-moving yet thoughtful broadside could not be more authentic and engaging. With an endearing willingness to sound vulnerable, she floats questions with no easy answers but sounds determined to get it right as a mom and to empower her listeners to do the same. T.W. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2012 - AudioFile

American culture pushes girls to focus on appearance rather than character, pleasing others rather than themselves and weakening themselves rather than achieving their goals, says a journalist who surveys a fascinating array of scientific, commercial, and mass media influences. Challenging parents to examine these issues, Peggy Orenstein uses a chatty first-person style (she has a daughter) and intelligent irony as she describes her analysis of phenomena like Miley Cyrus, the color pink, Disney princess products, and provocative findings from developmental/gender studies. Her reading of her fast-moving yet thoughtful broadside could not be more authentic and engaging. With an endearing willingness to sound vulnerable, she floats questions with no easy answers but sounds determined to get it right as a mom and to empower her listeners to do the same. T.W. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170354436
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/12/2012
Edition description:	Unabridged

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