DALLAS, Texas /Publishers Newswire/ — Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas will hold a lecture, “What is a Girly-Girl?,” on Feb. 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 them 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.
Writer and speaker Orenstein is author of “Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture” (ISBN: 978-0061711534) and other books. She is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and many other publications.
“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.”
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 Bold(SM). 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, visit www.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 .
