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

First, I'd like to talk for a moment about things this book is not:It is not about fearing or completely banning princesses, pink, etc. from your child's life. It is not about stifling any expression of traditional femininity. It's not about judging or shaming parents for buying princess-related toys. It's also not purporting to solve all of the problems created by our current cultural climate for girls. There are some suggestions on how parents might navigate these issues, many of them from the experts Orenstein interviews or gleaned from her years of studies in this area. But the book does not offer any sweeping concrete solutions, that's not what it's about.This book is, instead, an exploration of aspects of United States culture as they relate to girls and young women. It focuses specifically on how certain cultural concepts of femininity are aggressively and pervasively marketed to our kids. It also discusses how that plays out in real life - both the nuances of meaning in the messages being sent, and in how parents do and can respond to it. "Cinderella Ate My Daughter" will be an eye-opener for many people, and for that reason it is very important... but even if you feel you've been down this road before in some respects, I think it is still an important book.Orenstein acknowledges the challenges parents face in combating influence this pervasive - if one is uncomfortable with the messages being sent to girls through marketing, media, and so on, what is there to do about it? What can you say yes to? How to deal with saying "no"? Where should parents draw the line, and what to make of their feelings of confusion or ambivalence about these issues? One anecdote in the book illustrates this well: Orenstein is in a department store with her daughter, trying to decide how to handle Daisy's desire for a specific cheaply-made princess-type toy, one her father said she could have but that Orenstein feels conflicts with the family's values. Her confusion about how to handle the situation momentarily brings both her and her daughter to tears. Many parents have felt that confusion and gotten hung up on it in balancing their ideals with real-life situations, and the fact that this book acknowledges and attempts to help parents cope with that confusion - without being prescriptive - will be a relief to many. It's difficult to parent inside a culture one is critical of. Commiseration, discussion, and a little guidance help a lot...and this book offers those things.I also think the up-to-date factor is important. There are many books on parenting girls and teens in a misogynist culture, focusing on bullying, abuse, eating disorders, body image, and so on. There are other books on the influence of media and popular culture on girls and teens. But pop culture, and its impact, change - and parents must keep up with that. Today, focusing on the youngest set (as this book does) seems incredibly important given that corporations are specifically targeting little girls with some very loaded, very influential messages.Lastly, this book is not overly academic. It's got plenty of research behind it, and that research is referenced and cited within the text and more extensively in the lengthy "notes" section at the back of the book. But the tone is readable, conversational, and meant to illicit thought and discussion. It's a enjoyable, accessible read.

Part anecdotal, part research and a lot of humor makes this book very enjoyable and informative. I finished it in two days. A book like this was needed, as I'm sure many people have noticed the trend of what can only be described as unnecessary cutesieness and girliness. For some reason now EVERYTHING for girl children must be pink. EVERY toy must be inherently girly, feminine or overly saccharine to be marketed to (and liked) by girls. I'm only in my early 20s and the difference between now and my childhood is already intense.Orenstein did a lot of research at companies like Disney, American Girl, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon, and Mattel. She visited parents of preschool girls, young girls themselves, went to a Miley Cyrus concert and even child beauty pageants. She also spoke to plenty of experienced professionals who have done plenty of studies on gender, girls, child development and more. Unlike many other well-researched books, this is always entertaining, never dry, and easy to digest, even if the subject matter is troubling.She poses a lot of interesting subjects surrounding this explosion of the pink princess culture for little girls and how that somehow morphs into an overly sexual, materialistic and narcissistic culture for school-aged and teenaged girls. There are also a lot of negative and even frightening implications on not only how exploited children (of both genders) are by companies and consumerism, but how that has had such an extreme impact on the lives of all Americans and our culture as a whole.The book is also filled with plenty of funny or poignant moments the author shares with her young daughter. She is very opened about what many mothers are rather ashamed of or nervous to admit--that she's constantly worried about messing her child's life up. But at the same time it is clear that Orenstein is a good mother who tries her best; and like all of us sometimes her personal biases funnel her child into thought processes she wants her to have.The book is definitely one I recommend, and it's very good if you're into gender studies, feminism or are about to/are raising a little girl. It poses a lot of good questions about why things are the way they are and what it truly means to be female. However, like someone put in a negative review this is not a book on how to "combat" the girly culture for your child. This is more of a sociological observation book investigating the girly culture's roots and its effects on girls, boys, parents and society as a whole. But when it comes to "combating" it the author is sometimes at just as much of a loss as other parents on how to stop/prevent it. After all, you can't keep your kid in a box.

Sick and tired of princesses and pink, but not sure if and how to resist it... ? This book is for you. No idea what is wrong with princesses and pink? Than this book is for you too.

Très bon livre. A lire selon moi par tous les parents - de filles comme de garçons. Il n'est pas traduit en français mais l'anglais est plutôt accessible. Une bonne critique sur la manière d'élever les enfants, la segmentation des marchés, la folie princesses et les excès aux US qui risquent de toucher la société Européenne dans un futur proche

This book comes from the perspective of a life-long feminist who is also a mother to a daughter, two roles which are at times difficult to reconcile. This is precisely the reason why Cinderella Ate My Daughter is such an important book. My problem with some feminist books is that they can be a bit abstract and quite theoretical. Orenstein avoids this problem by speaking directly about her own experiences and being frank about the conflicting feelings she feels as a mother and as a feminist. She combines myriad examples with research and her own experiences while providing guidance for mothers who may find themselves in the same Cinderella-dominated world for young girls. This is one of my favourite feminist books and it's definitely changed the way I view gender socialization and the problems that young girls face. Don't be deceived by the deep topic matter: this is very easy to read and I had a hard time putting it down.

I loved it, not only does it think about the impact the whole "disney princesses" industry can have in little girls, it also analyses how the disney and other toy brands use marketing to sell a very skewed version of what it means to be a girl and the possible effects it might have in the future.

Für alle die sich fragen, ob all diese Rueschen Nebenwirkungen haben könnten. Hier findet man Antworten. Pflichtlektüre für Eltern von Mädchen.