Customer Reviews

College Girls: Bluestockings, Sex Kittens, and Co-eds, Then and Now

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As a longtime fan of Peril's -- from her absolutely excellent 'zine "Mystery Date" to her monthly "Museum of Femorabilia" column in BUST Magazine to her first book "Pink Think" -- I could not wait to get my hands on her latest book, "College Girls." In fact, I pre-ordered it on Amazon when I had first heard about it. And it did not disappoint. Full of facts, history, and yes -- a "we've come a long way, baby" feeling, but written in an engaging, accessible way that kept me going from the first page to the last, never feeling I was mired down in sermonizing. Peril's wit and superior knowledge (and what a reference library from which she culls!) takes us through history, with lots of fantastic anecdotes along the way. She tackles the serious (ie the first female scholars, racism, in loco parentis) and the fun (fashion, spreads, and time honored traditions). The well-chosen pictures that accompany the text are marvelous, too. It made me realize how lucky I was to be a college girl because of all the women who paved the way for me, and grateful because Peril wrote it all down. Every "sweet girl graduate" I know -- whether they are graduating from middle or high school, college, or did so long ago -- will be getting this book from me. Highly, highly rtecommended.

In this interesting read, author Lynn Peril chronicles the birth and development of the college girl. Ever since she appeared on the scene in the 19th century, the college girl has been the hot topic of conversation, incurring the curiosity--and wrath--of everyone from writers and philosophers to doctors and parents to social commentators. Whether it was doctors wondering whether "too much" education "endangered" her reproductive organs (Dr. Edward Clarke, who considered himself an expert in this area, claimed that too much education would leave a female college graduate with "undeveloped" ovaries) or books and magazines ("Seventeen" and "Better Homes and Gardens", just to mention a few) advising college-educated girls and women not to be "too smart" to avoid scaring away potential suitors or schools wondering whether women should learn "male" subjects such as math, history, ancient languages, and philosophy or "female" subjects such as learning how to fix and operate an iron, the college girl has been constantly scutinized, ridiculed, and regulated over the years (and unfortunately, even today), all just for wanting to get an education.

Not only does this book contain a history of the college girl, it also contains some interesting info on the history of the women's colleges, such as Vassar, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley, and Bryn Mawr, among many others. But most importantly, I came away with an important message that's not in the book, but that I will pass on to you and that is: Never be sorry for wanting to get an education. No piece of advice, no warning, no admonishment, no outrageous medical or scientific claim should ever stop you or me.

I always wondered what they were doing over there in the Girls Dorms. Now Lynn Peril has written a work which traces the development of women in the college world. While she starts with a first graduate in 1631 her focus is on developments from mid-nineteenth century to the nineteen - seventies. In this the theme of women's achieving equality in freedom over their own private lives is central. The world of over- supervision, and restriction yielded in time to the not necessarily happy one of women 'hooked up' in relationships in which sexual pleasure became 'ego trip' and intimacy and love, left on the sidelines. In between however there is the realm where greater woman's freedom and autonomy were at the heart of a general liberalization of campus life.
Peril uses a wide variety of sources to trace the developments in fashion, in style, in sleeping arrangements, in attitudes towards the marital and career prospects of college women. She makes use of students handbooks and yearbooks, advice manuals, popular novels. She provides a full picture of what their lives were like, and how they were transformed through the decades.
One central question again relates to intimacy and the dignity of women, with a strong suggestion that rampant promiscuity is not a sign of liberation but rather of a new kind of enslavement. Apparently the fuddy- duddies had it a bit right when they suggest that for most women sexual pleasure must come in the context of loving and committed relationships if they are to satisfy their deepest human needs.

Funny! All the girls on my Christmas list will be getting this book. There are a ton of important, mind-boggling, and otherwise forgotten women's history stories in it, but without the grim voice we're all so used to in feminist writing.

Lynn Peril has done it again! Just as she did with her first book, PINK THINK, she's wrangled tons of research, thousands of facts, and hundreds of personal anecdotes into a concise and well-written whole. Tackling this immense topic- the history of women in college and popular culture's reaction to it -Peril makes the varsity team and wins the pennant for a facinating and funny read!

I don't typically read non-fiction books, but the cover for this caught my eye, and I bought it. It definitely wasn't a mistake. This is an interesting look through the history of young women and their participation in the 'college life'. Like the back cover says, this book is a blend of popular culture criticism and a humorous look at women's history. If you like your history with a dose of humor, then "College Girls" is the book for you. The book is illustrated in black and white(but high quality) pictures, often with hilarious notes.

I just finished re-reading this excellent social history of the American college girl and enjoyed every moment of it. To those of us educated in the later part of the 20th and early part of the 21st centuries, the ability to go to college and learn (and party) is often considered a right. But reading this book and seeing just how restrictive early female education was, how people thought being smart made you less wifely, really makes you appreciate the privilege of an education. Illustrated with period photos, and quoting many sources, including contemporary literature, letters and research studies, the book shows how attitudes regarding women in the collegiate setting have changed (and not changed over the years). You don't have to be a feminist or a women's studies major to enjoy the book; it's accessible to even a casual reader. This is going on my bookshelf for good, to be read by my daughter before she goes off to college.

It's a fun and very informative look at how far the college-educated woman came. Once upon a time, merely getting to the university door itself was a political statement. Would education destroy the 'American girl'? What curriculum was appropriate for her?

A compromise was melded between the advocates of women's advancement--and the traditionalists who were leery of the 'new opportunities' which a college education could provide for American girls. So the students had to contend with all kinds of protective laws and restrictions which my generation and younger believed were more appropriate for a public school environment. The students paid to attend, but virtually had no rights or expectation to be themselves.

And today shaking my head at those now-draconian laws and 'dorm policies' enforced on women (but tellingly not enforced on young men) it did help to create a 'college culture' unique for women. This same culture is ironically being discarded and forgotten unless this book preserves it.

For better or worse, this culture was part of the collegiate women's experience. It was what made their existence 'special'. Therefore this book is obviously recomended for the college library (certainly including women's colleges/historically women's colleges). But it would also interest high school collections--because their students are considering college. And reflecting on what colleges used to be like/used to require of their student bodies could be an interesting perspective of those students.

I really like this book. I wish it was around when I was about to enter college. It does not give specific advice on th how's and what's of college life but the antecdotes of the author and other contributors let you know you aren't the only one who has ever had an embarrassing moment in the dining hall or a crazy roommate. I bought it for my cousins who are going into college soon and I wrote in the margins some of my experiences. I really think this is a great book for past, present, and future college women.

If you love Lynn Peril's column in BUST Magazine, "Museum of Femorbilia," you'll love COLLEGE GIRLS. A smart, funny, irreverent narrative of The College Girl deftly constructed from pop culture, women's history, advertising, and strange ancient texts that aren't really ancient at all, but that only Lynn Peril could find and synthesize in such an engaging manner.