Vibrant Nation

I often look at the younger generation of girls and wonder why they dress and carry on the way they do. What messages are they sending about how women in America portray themselves? If you find yourself wondering the same, the book Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture by Ariel Levy is for you.

There is nothing to be proud of with the explicit messages magazines, movies and shows like Girls Gone Wild are constantly feeding female youth. As a boomer woman who recalls the fight for women’s rights, I’m proud of how far we’ve come in some regards, but am stifled by the distance we still must travel to dispel the image of women as sex symbols. When did it become cool to lift your shirt and bare all to crowds of guys, or share erotic performances while guys literally lay back and reap the benefits? All of the sudden everyone’s a Playboy Bunny to the max. It’s surprising that girls are trying to "suck up" to guys. I’m afraid it’s too hard for girls to opt out of the sexuality role expected. How can we convince our girls that this behavior is twisted?

Ariel Levy is gutsy, brilliant and forthright with her take on how and why all of this is taking place. It’s alarming when you read the truth about messages being sent to our girls on a daily basis. I recommend this book to women regardless of age. Perhaps if younger generations read it, they will see how ridiculous and out of control this behavior has become. And hopefully the older women will read to see what part we can take in making the necessary changes that promote healthier images for younger women.

~ Dotsie Bregel
Founder of the National Association of Baby Boomer Women and BoomerWomenSpeak.com, the number one sites on major search engines for "baby boomer women."