Week 10: Girls on the Edge

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Girls on the Edge, by Leonard Sax

I saw this at work and thought, "Yet another book about how modern girls are in crisis--do I really want to read this?" Then I read the first couple of pages and it started talking about how there are all these supergirls with goofball brothers. As it happens, I had just been discussing that phenomenon with my good friend after reading a NYT essay. So I read the book. And it was worth it. Sax wrote Boys Adrift a few years ago, which I also thought was very good.

Sax points to four elements in modern culture that push girls to perform for an audience without, perhaps, figuring out who they really are inside: early sexualization, constant pressure to be up on social media, obsessions (such as with dieting, sports, or academics), and environmental toxins that may cause puberty to start earlier than it should.

If you've got a daughter, I think it's a good book to read and think about.

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