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

Cinderella Ate My Daughter is an extremely digestible book on the rise of "pretty pink princess culture" among little girls. Having a daughter of her own, Daisy, alerted Peggy Orenstein to potentially problematic cultural trends affecting young girls, which she investigates further by visiting various places (American Girl Place, child beauty pagents, toy conventions, etc), interviewing various experts, and reflecting on her parenting experiences. Styled as a conversational exploration, Orenstein suggests that girlie-girl culture is a harmful manifestation of how the pursuit of physical perfection—with its requisite consumption—being recast as the source of female empowerment sets the stage for premature sexualization and limited choices as girls are conditioned to perform rather than feel. Orenstein is a funny writer whose breezy commentary would be appreciated by the intended audience. However, I wish there was more substance to interesting points she brings up about the role of fairy tales, (violent) play, and boy-girl interactions. This book is decidedly about mothers and daughters, with only one mention of her husband's parenting, which is unfortunate. Nonetheless, I enjoyed Orenstein's honesty about her many hopes and aspirations for her daughter and not having all the answers, her nuanced approach, and her astute observations.