For many of us, if we wanted to play dress-up as girls, we raided our parents’ closet, where we could take on gender-neutral roles, like a farmer, if we so desired. Not the least of these pressures is the “Princess” line of products launched by Disney in the year 2000. She covers several sources of pressure on girls to conform to the “girly” culture. In the book, Orenstein exposes how things have gone much beyond that. I first noticed the backsliding while watching reality TV, where women in their 20’s and even 30’s are routinely referred to as “girls” – something that would have been the object of loud protests in the 70’s. These challenges are particularly dismaying to someone like me who, like Orenstein, grew up in a world where women struggled for equality both in the workplace and at home. Rather than pretending she knows it all or can always recognize – and make – the right choices, she confesses her confusion and the conflicting signals she sometimes gives her daughter. Part of the charm of this book is Orenstein’s conflicting thoughts and feelings as she navigates the challenges of raising a girl in the modern world. It promised to be both thought-provoking and entertaining. With a title like “ Cinderella Ate My Daughter,” how could I possibly pass up Peggy Orenstein’s book about how to raise an empowered and egalitarian daughter in the face of societal pressures to push her into gender-based preferences and roles? Book Review: Peggy Orenstein's “Cinderella Ate My Daughter”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |