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kittycat2302's review against another edition
4.0
If I was going to have kids, I'd be extra glad to have read this. There are no simple answers the the Princess craze, but this offers a bunch of good information and some very interesting tidbits of information around marketing, research, etc. Fascinating read!
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know if I can write a review that will do justice to this book, but I at least want to say a few things about my reading experience/thoughts/opinions.
First off, I thought the writing was intelligent and engaging. Orenstein includes a quite hefty Citations/Bibliography at the end of the book that provides references for the sources she mentions in the text (there are no notations in-text, which make for easy reading).
I felt that Orenstein research her topic thoroughly, and I liked how she didn't automatically make the conclusion to burn everything pink/princess. Sometimes, I had trouble following from one chapter to the next, one thought to the next, but there was a lot of information and I read this pretty quickly so part of that could be just me.
Orenstein's final conclusion seem to be something that would be obvious: it's the parents' job to pick and choose what is best for the daughter, to remind her that she is more than just her outward beauty, that she is a person whose thoughts and feelings aren't defined by outward appearances. I do appreciate such a conclusion, but it seems rather underwhelming.
Also, Orenstein hints at people "fighting back" against the heavy marketing to children (similarly to the fight against obesity), but there are no big conclusions or "steps" you can do for this.
However, I really enjoyed reading this, even though I do not have a daughter of my own. I think parents with daughters would definitely appreciate at least a look at this to get them aware of what is in store for their Little Princess.
First off, I thought the writing was intelligent and engaging. Orenstein includes a quite hefty Citations/Bibliography at the end of the book that provides references for the sources she mentions in the text (there are no notations in-text, which make for easy reading).
I felt that Orenstein research her topic thoroughly, and I liked how she didn't automatically make the conclusion to burn everything pink/princess. Sometimes, I had trouble following from one chapter to the next, one thought to the next, but there was a lot of information and I read this pretty quickly so part of that could be just me.
Orenstein's final conclusion seem to be something that would be obvious: it's the parents' job to pick and choose what is best for the daughter, to remind her that she is more than just her outward beauty, that she is a person whose thoughts and feelings aren't defined by outward appearances. I do appreciate such a conclusion, but it seems rather underwhelming.
Also, Orenstein hints at people "fighting back" against the heavy marketing to children (similarly to the fight against obesity), but there are no big conclusions or "steps" you can do for this.
However, I really enjoyed reading this, even though I do not have a daughter of my own. I think parents with daughters would definitely appreciate at least a look at this to get them aware of what is in store for their Little Princess.
daumari's review against another edition
5.0
Recommended to me by the sister of a friend (or rather, recommended for my brother and I read it while he put it off) because of the Sarkeesian uproar. The author, who has previously written on girl culture at the adolescent level, finds herself face-to-face with girlie-girl culture after the birth of her daughter. She then examines the rise of princesses/pinkification/sparkles/etc. that has grown over the last 20 years or so. Makes it very apparent that navigating the fluff'nstuff is hard for today's mom- give in to what your child wants, or avoid princesses at the risk of marking 'feminine' as 'bad'?
schofield24's review against another edition
3.0
This journalist author was a bit ultra-feminist for me on some points, but I found her thoughts and research to be very relevant, albeit secular. She articulated my sometimes vague uneasiness on several aspects of our society today, including the Disney machine, social networking, fairy tales, and Barbie dolls. I had read about many of these troubling trends before, but it was great to have it all in one book to review. I would highly recommend reading it if you are raising daughters (and hopefully backing up any knowledge gained with a renewed sense of responsibility to teach our daughters who they really are).
maximum_moxie's review against another edition
3.0
As some other reviewers have mentioned, the revelations in this book may be too "obvious" for serious feminists or the highly media literate. And yes, the writing style is journalistic rather than academic, with all the little weaknesses this implies. But as a primer and a reminder of the pressure girls are under in a consumer society, this book is a must.
x_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
Cinderella Ate My Daughter is told in an easy to read style backed up with facts and anecdotes. Orenstein raises a lot of questions but she allows the reader to draw their own conclusions. Orenstein does allow that making decisions to keep children safe from the detrimental effect of the media isn't easy and there is no right way. Her one suggestion is to not allow things you find objectionable into your home until your child is older. Then she suggests rather than fighting every battle, asking your child to think critically about the media they consume (not lecturing, but asking questions to get them thinking).
tophat8855's review against another edition
3.0
Everyone's talking about it + I'm joining the Berkeley ward RS book group for this next month. I wonder how it compares to Packaging Girlhood.
Moving this to "to read" because I didn't get a chance to finish it and I had visiting teaching group the night of the book group, so I missed it. I don't expect it to be much different than Packaging Girlhood, except to have more updated references to TV shows/movies/pop stars.
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Finally read it because it was on the shelf at the library when I was looking for a different book. Fast, easy to read. I did find that at times the author was too casual in writing mannerisms. I don't know if I'd say flippant, but there were multiple times when I was, "Is that really the best way to reference mental illness/stereotypes/etc?"
Content-wise: Nothing surprising or really different from Packaging Girlhood. However if you haven't read PG, it's a good first introduction to the topic, though and has more recent references to pop culture than Packaging Girlhood, which was published in 2006. It even quotes PG. But now I can say I've read it and mark it off my list. Done.
Moving this to "to read" because I didn't get a chance to finish it and I had visiting teaching group the night of the book group, so I missed it. I don't expect it to be much different than Packaging Girlhood, except to have more updated references to TV shows/movies/pop stars.
_______
Finally read it because it was on the shelf at the library when I was looking for a different book. Fast, easy to read. I did find that at times the author was too casual in writing mannerisms. I don't know if I'd say flippant, but there were multiple times when I was, "Is that really the best way to reference mental illness/stereotypes/etc?"
Content-wise: Nothing surprising or really different from Packaging Girlhood. However if you haven't read PG, it's a good first introduction to the topic, though and has more recent references to pop culture than Packaging Girlhood, which was published in 2006. It even quotes PG. But now I can say I've read it and mark it off my list. Done.
roseleaf24's review against another edition
4.0
Orenstein examines the girly-girl world of pink princesses that she found taking over her daughter's life, no matter what she did to try to avoid it. This detailed look at the marketing and products aimed at preschool girls and how it relates to the oversexualization in our older girls and teenagers is thought-provoking, and somewhat frightening. A good read, and usuaaly well-balaned, though Orenstein's own views did sometimes cloud the real issue. (A fourteen-year-old send a topless picture of herself to a boy she barely knows, and you stop to consider whether it's a good sign that she's comfortable enough with her own body and her sexuality? No. Just no.) The places where this interfered with my agreement and the value of this book were few, however.
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
Good for laughs, and helps bring your attention to the troubling implications of modern feminism/femininity, but if you've thought of this issue on your own already, this book doesn't quite bring anything new to the table, especially as it is light on the citations and accreditations for research. Still, I was amused throughout, because Orenstein has a lovely writing style. But I definitely closed the book with a feeling of wooziness, as if I wasn't sure I was convinced of what I had just attempted to absorb in reading this book.
birdsandink's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoyed this book. It gives a really interesting look at how girls are developing in today's media and marketing saturated society and I also was able to identify with both Orenstein and her daughter Daisy. I definitely would recommend this to anyone, especially women and parents with daughters.