"Three factors make young women vulnerable to the hurricane. One is their developmental level...Second, American culture has always smacked girls on the head in early adolescence...Third, American girls are expected to distance themselves from their parents just at the time when they most need their support."
I paraphrased this quote because it takes up a whole page, but these are the three points Pipher believes causes girls to go through such extreme change during teenage years. This week I want to really examine these three factors that Pipher points out, because I feel like this page of the book really stands out. I will be going through each as thoroughly as I can and trying to analyze her points. I believe that these themes are going to be very repetitive in her writing and will often by underlying messages in all of her accounts.- Mary Pipher
Factor 1: Development
This is the most obvious and probably least disputed of the three factors. When Pipher says development, she just means puberty. There are chemical changes that go on in a teenager's body during puberty, and hormones imbalances can throw off a lot of things. Most hormone imbalances fix themselves with time, but while they are still present, it can cause changes in behavior and emotions. And on top of that, girls menstruate for the first time, which can be a frightening experience for some. Girls also develop physically, and during teenage years is when girls start to all look very different at the same time. Some girls may grow at a rapid rate while others do not start developing until later or do so at a slower rate. There was recently a very interesting column in the New York Post about how the diet of children now maybe causing them to hit puberty as early as seven years old! Most girls I know hit puberty no earlier than 12 years old! Girls have more variability in terms of body shape compared to boys. There are several classifications for girl figures, such as "curvy, hourglass, tall, petite, pear, ruler" etc. Girls become self-conscious of their changing bodies and tend to find flaws and envy other girls for features that they do/don't have. This ties in well to the next point that Pipher emphasizes.
Factor 2: American Culture
I think the body labels above are a blessing and a curse. I am an avid reader of Seventeen magazine, and I read each issue cover to cover. Obviously a large portion of that magazine is fashion-based. There are usually one or more pages in the fashion section that deal with ideas for girls on how to dress. They'll start with a theme, such as swimsuits or back-to-school clothes, and then have one model of each body type that I listed. They take their theme and dress the models in what flatters them the most or accentuates their best features, and then lists several other options for girls of this body type to wear. I absolutely love that Seventeen celebrates and recognizes all sorts of body shapes and sends out a great message that hourglass is not the only body shape that is acceptable for women anymore. What I absolutely love about this is that any girl can read this and find something that is made to make them look good. They give tips on how to hide certain body features that a girl of a certain shape may be self conscious about, such as large hips on a curvy girl. While it makes girls feel good, knowing that they aren't totally stuck with what they have, it also seems to have a negative edge. By showing short girls pants that make them look taller, or girls with boyish features to look curvier, they're still subtly putting pressure on girls to look a certain way. However, this makes girls feel less self-conscious and does more good than evil, so it is better to emphasize the different body types rather than ignoring them. Pipher even says that a part of American culture is lookism (I know, it sounds made up. I didn't believe it was a real word either, but if you click the word, there is a link to the dictionary). "Lookism is the evaluation of a person solely on the basis of appearance" (Pipher 23). I feel like we definitely all do this. Some of us try hard not to prejudge, but it also seems like instinct to quickly judge a person based on appearance. It isn't something you can fight. Unfortunately, there are also those who keep these judgments, and that is when it becomes a problem.
Factor 3: Pressure and Parents
I do not think this point is as strong as the other two. While I do agree that this exists, I think it is more of a minor issue. I believe there is a subconscious social standard that teens, especially early teens, are supposed to act out against and not be close with their parents. But I think that as time goes on and teenagers get to high school, it doesn't seem as big of an issue. I am personally very close with my mom, and a lot of my friends tell me that they are jealous that I have such a good relationship with her. I am not ostracized for it as Pipher seems to suggest. I think it is more in junior high where kids think that parents are lame and anyone who listens to theirs are losers. I think part of this separation from parents is just a natural result of growing up. Once a child is in middle or high school, they gain more friends and have more schoolwork and extracurricular activities. Along with that comes social drama and troubles with members of the opposite sex. When they get exposed to this larger group of people, they have the opportunity to connect with more people who they can share everything with instead. And it is nice to be able to do that because the other person can relate. So I don't believe that there is so much of a "pressure" to separate from parents.
Overall I believe that Pipher makes strong and accurate points in this bold statement, but I don't necessarily agree with it one hundred percent.
