We Need a Girl God



When my daughter turned five, I already saw the way the world was beginning to taint her image
of herself. We had disconnected the cable several years before, but the message was still seeping in from other places: you are not enough.

It pained me to hear my little daughter say she would be prettier if I would let her dye her hair
blonde. It pained me to see her already worshiping a body-type that is completely unattainable for any woman. As a feminist, I had worked very hard to raise my daughter as a strong girl. I did not buy Barbie dolls or allow princesses as role models, but she seemed to be getting excessive amounts of both from all directions. I did a purge of our home and hid all her princess books and Barbie dolls. I will not give them away to confuse another child. Someday, I will bury them, or figure out a way to recycle them.

It also became obvious to me that my daughter’s strength was not valued. The same behavior from my older son was acceptable, even praised. But my daughter and her girlfriends were rewarded for being passive and criticised when they had ‘too much’ energy or were assertive. It became clear to me that if I wanted a comprehensive education and a spiritual grounding for my daughter, I’d have to provide it myself.

Read entire article: We Need a Girl God: A mother explains her new children's book Redress, the Journal of the Association of Women Educators

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