pamiverson's review
3.0
I read this as I now have 2 granddaughters and I saw an awful lot of pink in preschool classrooms. It raises some good issues about the marketing of things for girls (really -- pink baby laundry soap?; the story behind Disney Princesses), but more practical things have been written since then. Highlights the importance of positive role models in girls' lives.
ehmatthews's review
3.0
While I enjoyed this book, most of it was stuff I had already heard; most of it is straight out of your 'women and consumerism' section of any decent women's studies class. However, Orenstein's writing style and personal anecdotes is essential in keeping the book out of the solidly 'textbook' realm. I would recommend this to my friends who haven't already had the primer on women's issues, but not my more 'hardened' feminist friends, as they've probably already memorized most of it.
aovenus's review
3.0
Not the most well written, but nonetheless thought provoking and raise a lot of serious issues people don’t think about or do much about. It’s interesting and quite frankly scary to think many things we associate with girls (such as color pink or being a princess) are the result of marketing, not human instinct.
thatjamiea's review
2.0
I wanted to like this book so much! It's not easy raising daughters and trying to separate the garbage from what's important. I mean, it's not easy raising kids in general, but girls (and women) are more susceptible to body image issues and eating disorders. There's a heavy burden there.
My issue with this author is the mother of one daughter who seems to hit the 6-8 range over the course of the book. Orenstein is, at first, nearly distraught over the child she'd assumed would be some awesome feminist, was obsessed with Disney princesses and the color pink. As the book progresses, along with Orenstein's prodding, Daisy comes to like super heroes and the original Grimm's Fairy Tales.
I liked that the book talked, extensively, about how girls and children, in general, are marketed to. Of course, we all know that this happens, but to see some study and science behind it was pretty interesting. Of course I bristle at the "girling down" of common toys like scrabble games, monopoly and play tools. I also found it interesting that I'd probably be considered a "girlie feminist" and it's kind of cool to be able to put a name on my particular brand of feminism.
Part of raising girls or boys or just kids, in my opinion, is letting them be who they are. They like what they like. Of course, we have limits. We say no. We consider budget and safety and usefulness. But, reading this book kind of left me feeling pretty sorry for the author's daughter. The author is spending so much time over analyzing what the kid plays with or likes that the kid is left confused in the wake.
Of course, by the end the author is congratulating herself for her daughter eschewing the Disney princess (which, she admits earlier is pretty par for the course among girls her daughters age) and has taken to liking superheroes and more open ended play items. Those are great things, but in reading the book, I wonder if her daughter would have gravitated to those things naturally or if her mom very mixed signals has left her feeling like she had to please.
My issue with this author is the mother of one daughter who seems to hit the 6-8 range over the course of the book. Orenstein is, at first, nearly distraught over the child she'd assumed would be some awesome feminist, was obsessed with Disney princesses and the color pink. As the book progresses, along with Orenstein's prodding, Daisy comes to like super heroes and the original Grimm's Fairy Tales.
I liked that the book talked, extensively, about how girls and children, in general, are marketed to. Of course, we all know that this happens, but to see some study and science behind it was pretty interesting. Of course I bristle at the "girling down" of common toys like scrabble games, monopoly and play tools. I also found it interesting that I'd probably be considered a "girlie feminist" and it's kind of cool to be able to put a name on my particular brand of feminism.
Part of raising girls or boys or just kids, in my opinion, is letting them be who they are. They like what they like. Of course, we have limits. We say no. We consider budget and safety and usefulness. But, reading this book kind of left me feeling pretty sorry for the author's daughter. The author is spending so much time over analyzing what the kid plays with or likes that the kid is left confused in the wake.
Of course, by the end the author is congratulating herself for her daughter eschewing the Disney princess (which, she admits earlier is pretty par for the course among girls her daughters age) and has taken to liking superheroes and more open ended play items. Those are great things, but in reading the book, I wonder if her daughter would have gravitated to those things naturally or if her mom very mixed signals has left her feeling like she had to please.
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