Girls Gone Mild

As most of you know, I got into a bit of a scrape three weeks ago with a car while I was riding my bike. I'm going to skip over all of the details about how and where and why--you'll have to settle for what, as in what happened after I did a somersault five feet above the ground and skidded across the pavement. As the pictures show, it wasn't particularly pretty. I uncover these hitherto hidden bodily sores in order to satisfy requests for visual documentation of my vehicular beating, though the worst damage is certainly not visible (a cracked pelvis and bruised back that still prevents me from doing any heavy lifting).

And as long as I'm in the spirit of disclosure and working to uncover the festering the festering sore spots that plagued me, let me praise and earnestly recommend another revealer of ugliness in the spirit of Doctrine and Covenants 123:12-14--

"For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it--Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven--These should then be attended to with great earnestness."

I write in praise of Wendy Shalit's Girls Gone Mild, a fabulous new book that brings to light all of the work that goes into making public sexuality the goal after which young women are forced to strive by the standards of modern pop culture. Shalit brings these hidden things of darkness to light and exposes the problems they produce: depression, eating disorders, promiscuity, sexual frustration, low self-esteem, etc. She also goes to great lengths in demonstrating that the current generation of young women are working to reject explicit sexuality and provides examples of girls who have stood up to Bratz, Abercrombie, public school systems and other institutions that push a sexual agenda, offering positive role models for today's young women.

I can't recommend Girls Gone Mild enough--it's an engaging, fun read that will leave you inspired and hopeful that the current generation of young women will overcome the current glorification of pornography, immodesty and other inappropriate sexual practices. Buy it, check it out from the library--ESPECIALLY if you have anything to do with young women; it's worth your time and money.