Upcoming “What is a Girly-Girl?” Lecture Discusses Implications of Media-driven Young Self-objectification for Body Image, Self-Esteem and Healthy Sexuality
DALLAS, January 04, 2012 - Girls Incorporated of Metropolitan Dallas will hold its third lecture, “What is a Girly-Girl?,” in its 2011-2012 series on Wednesday, February 1, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. in partnership with The Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture.
Author Peggy Orenstein will discuss today’s “girly-girl” culture that
influences girls from infancy onward: from princesses with pink gowns to spa
birthday parties for six-year-olds, to Miley Cyrus to how thirteen-year-olds
present themselves on Facebook, it tells a girl that how she looks matters more
than who she is.
“We’re seeing a ‘Kardashianization’ of girlhood,” says Orenstein, whose
examination of the lives of young women began in 1994 with her classic
book Schoolgirls. “It’s a worrisome trend for those who want
daughters to thrive and become confident, happy women. Formerly neutral toys
have become gendered, narrowing a girl’s idea about her sexuality, future
relationships and academic and professional potential. Girls are being
encouraged to embrace this materialistic, image-saturated femininity through an
unprecedented amount of marketing targeted at ever-younger ages.”
Writer and speaker Peggy Orenstein is author of Cinderella Ate My
Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture and
other books. She is a contributing writer for The New York Times
Magazine, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and many other publications.
This lecture is the third in the series, “What is a Girl?,” which takes a
critical look at how girls have been envisioned from ancient mythology to
today’s popular culture and tomorrow’s leadership in science and
technology.
“We could not have picked a better partner than The Dallas Institute for
Humanities and Culture,” says Girls Inc. CEO Lori Palmer. “The theme,
‘What is a girl?’ has proven to be as complex and provocative a subject as it
is a captivating one.”
As with all the lectures in this series, Orenstein will present and then lead a
discussion with audience members after a reception with wine, cheese, fruit and
coffee at 6:00 p.m. The lecture takes place on Wednesday, February 1, at
6:30 p.m. at The Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture located at 2719
Routh Street, Dallas. Admission is $25.
Register online for “What Is a Girly-Girl?” at GirlsIncDallas.org/LectureSeries or
by contacting Lisa Rossi at lrossi@girlsincdallas.org or
214.654.4553. Seating is limited to 100. Sponsors include the
Dallas Business Journal, WRR Classical 101, Kroger, Rosewood Hotels &
Resorts of Dallas and Texas Instruments.
The remaining lecture events are as follows:
Wednesday, April 4, 2012, What is a STEM Girl? Girls in Science,
Engineering, Math and Technology.
The concluding lecture of the series will consider the feminine role in
scientific and theoretical fields, most if not all of which have traditionally
been associated with men. How did such a tradition develop? In what ways is it
changing? And what does the future hold for girls who are drawn to these professions?
About Girls Incorporated of Metropolitan Dallas
Girls Incorporated of Metropolitan Dallas aims to inspire all girls to be
Strong, Smart, and BoldSM. For more than 40 years, Girls Inc. has
provided effective life skills and enrichment programs that empower girls to
take daily charge of their lives. At four campuses, Girls Inc. offers learning
and development opportunities for personal effectiveness, academics, and career
planning so that girls ages six to 18 are inspired to lead successful, independent,
and fulfilling lives. To learn more, visitwww.girlsincdallas.org.
About The Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture
The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture is a nonprofit educational
organization whose purpose is to enrich and deepen the practical life of the
city with the wisdom and imagination of the humanities. The Dallas Institute
accomplishes its purpose through programs for school teachers and principals,
general courses of study, public and professional seminars, publications,
conferences, and civic involvement. For more information, go to www.dallasinstitute.org.
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