Customer Reviews

Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers' Schemes

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I am in the midst of studying pop culture for girls and reading a slew of books about girls, as my daughter will be heading to middle school in a year and I want to understand what her world is really like. As I've been raising her, I've also been a girl scout leader, school volunteer, children's religion teacher, etc. Over my daughter's first ten years of girlhood, I have been exasperated and angry at the endless images by media and pop culture and marketers that constantly tell girls that they are only acceptable, respectable, interesting, valued and admired if they are thin, they buy every slutty fashion trend, and they are able to attract the sexual desire of boys and men. I think girls are made into sex objects in our culture now more than ever.

The authors of this book jumped around a lot, contradicted themselves frequently, and made many factual errors in their presentation. I think it could have been a great book, but it fell short for these reasons. The book had enough errors to make me skeptical when I read information about books and pop culture and products with which I was not previously familiar.

For example, they slam American Girl. This company makes dolls and book characters that have real girl bodies, are not sexualized, overcome challenges, think for themselves, learn, grow, and are believable as strong, complex, smart, capable individuals. Yet the authors of this book whine about the fact that the company is also selling dolls and books to girls. Hello? Of course they sell stuff - that's why they are profitable. Have they read an American Girl series or two? Well I have read them all with my daughter over the past several years and my only disappointment has been that I did not have these books when I was a girl. Because of these historical novels that have young girls as central character, my daughter and her ten year old friends know more about American history than I knew when I graduated high school!

First the authors of Packaging Girlhood tell us that in the American Girl Molly series, Molly's mother is dead. Then they talk about the mother not being central in Molly's life until the end of the story, as a peacemaker. Excuse me, I thought you said she was dead? Had they actually read the Molly series, they would have known that during WWII, Molly's mother went to work full time in a Rosie the Riveter- type job to support the family and Molly was expected to be more independent. The authors complain about the AG characters being pretty. Girls do not identify with Molly because she is pretty (which she isn't especially) but because she is resourceful and brave and a good friend and smart. What is the problem?

One of the authors' complaints is that Samantha Parkington's (1904) female role model is a young woman idealized for being pretty, not for being accomplished. In fact, the young woman role model character was a suffragist, working toward winning the right of women to vote, and she had a positive and supportive influence on Samantha. The authors go on and on about the messages in the American Girl books are unercut because the girls are pretty. So what? Samantha stands up to a boy bully, teaches an immigrant to read and she speaks out about the realities of child labor in the factories. The authors of Packaging Girlhood are annoyed that she may have been pretty? I guess they forgot to read this series, also.

By the way, Addy claimed her freedom through the help of the Underground Railroad, not the "Freedom Trail."

Another quick example is that the authors refer to Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie as seventies shows and then draw conclusions. Sorry, but these shows were popular in the sixties, before the womens liberation movement of the late sixties and into the seventies. The world and the lives of American women changed drastically between the early sixties and the seventies, so this was not a small error. They complain that Samantha Stevens wanted to keep her husband happy and wasn't a powerful character. Yikes, have they ever seen the show? The men are portrayed as buffoons and Samanatha makes her own choices and is the most powerful and intelligent character in the story line. I guess the authors are just annoyed that Samantha Stevens, a woman in the early sixties, chose to be a housewife.

I think the authors also missed the point of the movie, Mean Girls. Or, perhaps they skipped that and then wrote criticism of it like they did with the American Girl series of books.

This book needed a lot more work before it went to press. Because of that, the other research and conclusions were not entirely credible. With more effort in doing the research before casting judgments, this book would have been more beneficial. I have found Queen Bees & Wannabees and Odd Girl Out to be more credible and enlightening, though this book made some very interesting points about the barrage of harmful marketing schemes aimed at girls.

This book needs to be taken with a larger than average dose of salt. The authors have fallen into that trap of making their case too strongly- instead of just letting the examples of lousy stereotypes of girls in the media speak for themselves, they heap on extra. Suddenly every single book, movie, TV show, song, and toy is dripping with gender stereotypes. They can't praise a single one without finding some flaw- everything has a "but." Mia Hamm's book, which teaches kids (and even girls) lessons in sportsmanship gets a parenthetical criticism for emphasizing soccer as if it were the only sport its okay for girls to play. (Hello! It's a book by MIA HAMM, the famous SOCCER player.) Even the American Girl dolls are described as "troublesome."

Other examples are presented in a very misleading way. For example: the Fearless series is about a character named Gaia who was "born without the fear gene" and is highly trained in basically every type of martial arts there is. She's tall and blonde and a skilled fighter- so as a hobby, she hangs out in seedy areas of New York City at night to lure thugs into attacking the apparently helpless female victim so she can turn around and beat the living daylights out of them. Talk about girl power. Despite the fact that this is basically the PREMISE of the series, the authors don't tell you about it- because it doesn't agree with their hypothesis that EVERYTHING in the media is out to get women. Instead, Gaia is mentioned because she doesn't like math- clearly the whole series is another example of harmful anti-female stereotypes!

I am personally a pretty adamant feminist and even I found myself rolling my eyes at a lot of the authors' claims.

Also, as other reviewers have mentioned, the book is riddled with factual errors. To add another example to those already listed by previous reviewers: the book claims that Vanessa's mother (from the series Daughters of the Moon) isn't actually her biological mother. This is false- it is a different character (Catty) who is raised by her non-biological mother.

Given the number of factual errors and misleading examples, I'm actually beginning to wonder if the authors actually READ all of these books they cite, or just skimmed them for keyword and phrases they could use to make their case. (I know I focused on book examples, but that's just because that's what I'm most familiar with. But the problems I saw in the passages about books made me wonder about the accuracy of claims regarding books or movies that I wasn't personally familiar with.)

It's really a shame, because girls and women DO get a bad rap in the media, and gender socialization is certainly a big problem and a big danger (for boys and girls alike). This book just doesn't present it in a fair or accurate way.

The advice they give parents is sound: Immerse yourself in the culture of your teen girls- watch the movies, read the books, and listen to the songs she likes and open an honest discussion about them. Ironically, it's also the advice I give parents regarding this book: familiarize yourself with popular culture, rather than depending on the version of it presented in this book.

This is not just one of the best books on gender I've read, it's one of the best books PERIOD. Well-researched, well-considered, astounding statistics, sharp uncompromising analysis, current references, great suggestions...

The intro and first chapter alone (Pretty in Pink: What Girls Wear) were worth the price of the book. I recently had someone compliment me on my kids' "matching" pink winter boots. I told her it wasn't planned - I could only find boots for mini-lumberjacks or little ladies. (They have both styles, by the way, but they sure get more comments when they're all pinked out.) About half their wardrobes as babies were pink (gifts). Isn't that excessive? If half their clothes were black, people would notice and comment, but it's just business as usual with all that sweet pink stuff.

I was surprised to read the negative review. That reader interpreted things very differently than I did. Maybe something hit too close to home, but you know what they say about the unexamined life. I had a few uncomfortable twinges myself, and finished the book wishing that my parents and other adults had been more interested - or better equipped - in helping me navigate adolescence.

I recommend the book to 1) parents of girls, 2) parents of boys who want to understand their sons' peers, 3) teachers and coaches and 4) any woman looking for insight into her upbringing.

I absolutely loved this book. I read it little by little over time and discovered that this book, unlike so many others, is the product of real research, painstaking research... so I don't know how anyone can think these authors are politically correct or what. They talk about the sexualization of girls all right, but so much more -- the invisibility of girls in so many sources of media, the way girls are "dissed" (their word) in lyrics, tv shows, movies, the way girls are getting overwhelmed constantly with messages that they should be stereotypically pink and pretty from a very early age. Anyone looking for a book on sexualization of girls will find plenty of stuff here; but what's more important is that girls are being stereotyped in a whole bunch of ways that narrow their choices for the future not only by being sexualized. And parents will learn that letting their girls grow up all girl, or in that girly girl stereotype, means they will soon be sexualized by the culture -- the two are connected. You have to read the book to see why. I don't think that the authors are against pink or girly things; they just have a thoughtful response to it and plenty of suggestions and conversational material for parents.

Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers' Schemes should be required reading for all parents. I would go even further--it should be required reading for everyone, because the girls who are being bombarded by the media have brothers, uncles and aunts, cousins, grandparents and friends who probably are buying into the marketing schemes--and should also be educated.

Girls are targeted with $12 billion annually in order to encourage them to buy certain clothes, make-up, books, movies and magazines. As a result, they are encouraged to grow up too fast, embrace what's 'in,' focus on the external (which includes their appearance) and compete (negatively) with other girls.

The authors cover vast territory in educating us about the media's focus on girls: what girls wear, what girls watch on television and in movies, what girls listen to, what girls read and what girls do (play).

The authors go one step farther in their effort to educate and that is what makes this book special. They give suggestions that parents or adult care givers can use to engage a child in talking and thinking about the stereotypes they are bombarded with daily.

You'll never watch a movie, read a book, listen to music or shop again without thinking about how the marketplace impacts that special girl in your life.

Armchair Interviews says: Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers' Schemes is an eye-opener.

I found this book on accident at the library while I was perusing the new books, and I've checked it out 3 times since. Like all parents, I want to prepare my children as best as possible for this world. Already though I see my young daughters being pushed in the wrong direction by well-meaning relatives, friends and not so well meaning marketers. Last summer my mother sent a James Bond type bikini to my 2 year old that she bought at Wal-Mart, and this year for Christmas my girls received matching leopard printed sequined outfits. Since when were 2 year olds and 10 months old supposed to be sexy? It's very disturbing. Fortunately, this book has given me great insight and ideas on how to teach my daughters to avoid marketers traps, discertain sexist media and to become aware of how sexisim pervades our society. It also touches on how boys are suffering from marketing ploys (ie boys being represented as only wanting sex, boys being admired only for their bodies, as if boys too are just shallow, sexual husks!) I wish this book were free so that everyone could own a copy!

My daughter is now on the verge of turning 19 and has just left for college, and though there is no turning back the clock, I really wish that (while she was still living under our roof) we had had more of the kind of discussions that Drs. Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown recommend in their very eye-opening and engaging book, Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters From Marketers Schemes. Although I should have known better, as a baby boomer child of the 60s and certainly part of a generation that prided itself in its individualism, its cynicism, and its power to challenge and question the version of truth that was being handed to us by a materialistic, antiquated and male dominated society, I am guilty of naively assuming both that we had come further along in dismantling negative, restrictive female stereotypes, and that my own children would just naturally be born into the world with the same skeptical and critical eye that my own generation actually had to acquire. I realize now, that as enlightened as I thought I had been, I did not do all that I could to help my daughter interpret and critically dissect the narrow image of girlhood and womanhood that has been sold to her by marketers and media. Is it too late now? I'd like to think that is never too late to have these kinds of discussions. I hope that my daughter will read this book before she becomes a parent one day, so she can begin these discussions much earlier with her own daughters. I have already recommended this book to my book club and my colleagues at work, and it is amazing how much interesting conversation it has already elicited. I highly recommend this book to all parents, future parents, and anyone who naively thinks that "pretty in pink" is an old stereotype that we have long gotten rid of. If you feel that changing "pretty in pink" to "sizzling in hot pink" is progress in a positive direction, then maybe this book won't do as much for you as it did for me.

With a daughter who's all pink all the time, I picked this book up eagerly, expecting quality research, tight arguments and sound recommendations. Instead this book reads as if it was written in a terrible rush, after shallow research. Full of pointless non-rhetorical questions and excessive exclamation points, it skims the surface of girl-culture without asking any deep questions -- shopping is bad, books are bad, videos are bad, choices for girls clothes are bad. Many of the arguments suffer from the "two kinds of people" weakness. There are pink girly girls and tomboys. The former are bad because they limit girlhood, the later are bad because they criticize feminine traits. There aren't enough female villains (I agree). Female villains are either ugly or over sexualized (well that about covers it). Movies where the main character is a girl with a close girl friend reinforce the idea that boys and girls live in different worlds. Movies where the main character is a girl with a male best friend encourage the idea that girls are catty and not to be trusted. Points are repeated, statements aren't backed up. The basic recommendation that you should watch what your kids are watching and teach them to criticize it is a good one, but there is no effective method for doing this -- instead the authors list the same "parent nagging" questions over and over "Why is the boy driving instead of the girl?" "Why do you think they put (insert girl star here) on the box?". I need a guide to help me sort out how to help my little princess to her fullest potential, but this isn't the book.

This book is one of the best books I've ever read about gender issues. As someone who has read extensively in the are of gender and science and gender roles in our society, Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown's cooperative effort in their book Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters From Marketer's Schemes is fantastic. You must read this book.

The authors clearly and thoroughly explain the premise of their arguments with carefully researched analysis of what girls watch (both movies and TV), what girls wear, and what girls listen to. Additionally, the authors balance these sometimes shocking revelations with practical, well thought out advice for how to discuss these issues in a straightforward, no nonsense way with the daughters and young women in your lives.

What's also wonderful about their approach is that they *don't* advocate restricting girls from TV shows, movies or music as a strategy. Those of us who work with children know that this strategy wouldn't work anyway - marketing driven culture is pervasive!

Instead, the authors recommend that mothers and other women who are influential to young women explain that they may enjoy these movies, and this music, but discuss why women are often typecast in very limited roles (the slut or the mean girl) in the music and films and TV shows and whether that truly shows the depth of personality that they as individuals may have.

The information included in the book is thorough. At times one can feel a little overwhelmed (as the reviewer who gave a negative review clearly did). However, don't make the mistake of assuming the book is a negative book. In fact, of the 50+ books I have read about gender roles, gender issues, gender and science, gender and (insert subject here) this book is one of the most honest and positive books I have read about gender issues. The authors clearly have a lot of experience talking with girls and give clear and realistic advice about how to discuss topics with the young women in your lives.

Additionally, they don't contradict their own arguments nor do they villianize girls who do like to cook, cheerlead, or play with dolls. They just make sure that girls don't feel like those are their only options for activities, sports or toys. Their entire argument is that girls can do anything they want - but in order to make sure that girls honestly feel those options are open to them we have to first understand the messages that are being constantly supplied to us by our culture about gender.

For example, they explain that "being sexy" does not mean tallying up the number of times you've "been to third base" with boys, but rather understanding and enjoying what it is to be a woman and perhaps even learning to enjoy intimacy with someone you love.

They explain that girls can learn how to be careful consumers of the messages that are given to them by the media. It's a good lesson for each one of us to learn - whether male or female, young or old - in a culture that is saturated with messages designed to tell us what car we need to drive to prove we're successful, what clothes to wear to be sexy, and what music to listen to so we can be cool.

You have got to read this book - but don't just buy one copy. Buy two, and give one to a friend. I have already bought three additional copies and given all three away. It's s fantastic book, and a must read for anyone who has girls, has ever been a girl, works with girls, or knows
girls.

I bought this book thinking it would be an interesting look at consumer culture and children. There's a little of that in there. Mostly though, the book is the authors' 307 page rant against the evils of things like the color pink, cheerleading, and (God forbid!) decorating.

I'm serious about that last one. The authors actually say it's worthless for girls who have any interest in interior design to pursue those skills because those skills won't "get them into a good design school. If your daughter likes decorating, encourage her to decorate her web page!" (Note the annoying overuse of exclaimation marks all through the book.) Apparently interior design is a useless and stereotypically girly field, even though in the real world it is a respected multi-million dollar industry filled with women AND men. Also, what if my daughter doesn't HAVE a web page?

The irony of this book is that the authors are convinced marketers are trying to force girls' personalities into pre-set and confining molds when it seems more to me that the authors are the ones doing that. According to them pink equals girly and weak, while red is for brave and independant girls. So, if a little girl likes pink she can't be brave. They also frown on little girls wearing skirts because apparently you can't play in them. This is news to me as I wore a skirt almost every day of my childhood and never had trouble playing.

This book isn't about helping girls be themselves free of marketing. This book is about helping girls be who the authors think they should be. If your daughter doesn't reject everything they personally don't like then I guess she's just a lost cause, doomed to forever watch Disney movies and (oh no!) babysitter for pocket money. Do yourself a favor and avoid this book. If you are genuinely concerned about the effect of marketing on your daughter, try instead The Lolita Effect by M. Gigi Durham.