Peggy Orenstein

In her probing, thoughtful, and often very funny new book, Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture, noted journalist Peggy Orenstein—author of the watershed bestseller, Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self Esteem and the Confidence Gap—struggles to make ... (more)sense of the barrage of “femininity” being foisted on our girls from an early age. She scrutinizes the roots of this unexpected trend —from Disney Princesses to pink-complexioned Muppets, from Bratz and Ty Girlz dolls to the sexualization of teen idols—and infiltrates the marketing machine that drives much of it. Cinderella Ate My Daughter not only identifies and explores the origins and ramifications of a significant cultural shift, but initiates a much-needed conversation about the lasting effect it could have on our daughters’ futures. Join us as we bring this conversation to life with a panel discussion featuring Kristine Byron, an Associate Professor at MSU, where her teaching and research focus on Gender Studies and Cultural Studies; Meagan Francis, author of The Happiest Mom; Stephanie-Murray Killips, the mom behind Gannet's Lansing hub of MomsLikeMe.com; and Lisa H. Schwartzman, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at MSU, teaching courses in Philosophy and Women's Studies, and working on a book on women's oppression, choice and autonomy. She is also the author of Challenging Liberalism: Feminism as Political Critique.

"Peggy Orenstein - noted journalist and non-fiction author of Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self- Esteem, and the Confidence Gap and Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Love, Kids, and Life in a Half-Changed World. Her most recent book, Waiting for Daisy, is a memoir of her quest for parenthood."