Peggy Orenstein

Motherhood by the Book is led by Claire, VB staffer, mother of a toddler, and stepmother of an adolescent.

The book group meets on the second Sunday of every month at 2pm in the Book Fare Cafe for an hour of spirited discussion of books that celebrate the trials, tribulations, and rewards of motherhood, and what it means to be a mother. This group is by no means exclusive to moms with kids still at home, but much of the selection may be geared toward issues that those moms face. We will read fiction, non-fiction, and parenting books.

Sun, March 11, 2pm

Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein

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.

Location: Street: 1200 11th St City: Bellingham, Province: Washington Postal Code: 98225-7015 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Peggy Orenstein promotes Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture.

The rise of the girlie-girl, warns Peggy Orenstein, is no innocent phenomenon. Following her acclaimed books Flux, Schoolgirls, and the provocative New York Times bestseller Waiting for Daisy, Orenstein’s Cinderella Ate My Daughter offers a radical, timely wake-up call for parents, revealing the dark side of a pretty and pink culture confronting girls at every turn as they grow into adults. In search of answers, Peggy Orenstein visited Disneyland, trolled American Girl Place, and met parents of beauty-pageant preschoolers tricked out like Vegas showgirls. The stakes turn out to be higher than she ever imagined. From premature sexualization to the risk of depression to rising rates of narcissism, the potential negative impact of this new girlie-girl culture is undeniable—yet armed with awareness and recognition, parents can effectively counterbalance its influence in their daughters' lives. (jpmoore)… (more)

Peggy Orenstein discusses Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture.

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 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. (tapestry100)… (more)