Re-read.A good intro to the overwhelming brainwashing that (American) girls are subjected to, with an emphasis on consumerism and on packaged female identity. This book, while very solid, is kind of basic and not as in depth as Alissa Quart's Branded, and at times feels like it is written for people who have never thought about such things, which I suppose it is.
The authors are writing to parents, and for what it is, it is an impassioned and articulate analysis of why 'buying into' princesses and pink can damage girls' future attempts to define themselves, and the sections on children's and YA literature are most interesting to me. Of course Gossip Girl comes in for some hits, but I think it's clear that the authors realize that that series is better written than others, and also, their objections to Gossip Girl are more focused on the materialism than on the issues. The Clique, thankfully, is nailed in this book, but some of the books they recommend seem a little off to me - Ok, Speak, sure, yadda yadda, but putting How I Live Now on a list of books supposedly chosen to reflect strong female characters? Daisy was a neurotic anorexic basketcase who had an underage affair with her cousin- I liked the book, but I wouldn't see that character as a role model. Also, the Magic Schoolbus series drives me crazy. But that might just be me.
Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers' Schemes
Quality: 9 Popularity: 8 Overall: 17
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