Cinderella Ate My Daughter - Peggy Orenstein

Summary from Borders.com: Orenstein, the acclaimed "New York Times Magazine" contributor and author of the groundbreaking "New York Times"-bestseller "Schoolgirls," grapples with where to draw the line for our daughters.


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.

While our household and two girls aren’t particularly into “princess” and “pink,” I still was able to glean some insight from this book. Especially in the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus arena and just in marketing to girls in general.

The book seemed to go back and forth on sides and even talk in circles a bit. However, I think that’s because there is not necessarily a right answer of how much pink and princess is too much. You need to know your kids. You need to know the values you are trying to instill. And you do the best you can with much prayer (okay, I didn’t get that from the book) and the knowledge you glean from resources like this book.