“I used to be an editor and I was editing young adult series. I didn't really like the books that I was reading, so I decided that I would write a book about something I'd want to read if I was 16. It turned into a Cinderella story... I developed a proposal and the characters of 'Gossip Girl' for my job.” IfsWantWritingBookCharacterStoriesJobsYoungUsedGirlReadingAdultsDecidedSeriesYoung AdultUsed To BeGossipEditorsEditingProposalGossip GirlCinderella Story Author:Cecily von Ziegesar
“Studies have shown that the terms girl and lady have pejorative connotations: They conjure images of someone weaker and lazier; someone more nervous, afraid, dependent, immature, and inconsiderate; someone less sexy, intelligent, and certainly less charismatic than 'woman.' Indeed, the term woman is overwhelmingly interpreted as more favorable and is most often used to describe adult females who deserve respect.” UsedGirlTermStudyAdultsDeserveFemaleIntelligentSexyNervousDependentImmatureCharismaticConnotationInconsiderate Author:Pat Heim
“Polygamy has an ancient history and is legal in many parts of the world. I find the rules of polygamy to be damaging and it's potentially dangerous to young girls and terrible for "excess" boys. But polyamory is supposed to be a more equal arrangement among agreeing adults.” WorldYoungGirlBoysDangerousTerribleEqualAdultsAncientSupposed To BeExcessArrangementsPolygamyAncient HistoryPolyamory Author:Emily Yoffe
“Girls . . . were allowed to play in the house . . . and boys were sent outdoors. . . . Boys ran around in the yard with toy guns going kksshh-kksshh, fighting wars for made-up reasons and arguing about who was dead, while girls stayed inside and played with dolls, creating complex family groups and learning how to solve problems through negotiation and roleplaying. Which gender is better equipped, on the whole, to live an adult life, would you guess?” MadeWarReasonPlayWholeProblemGirlFightingHouseBoysGroupsCreatingGunAdultsComplexesGenderSolveArguingRanToysYardsNegotiationDollsToy Guns Author:Garrison Keillor
“Girls have long been evaluated on the basis of appearance and caught in myriad double binds: achieve, but not too much, be polite,but be yourself, be feminine and adult; be aware of our cultural heritage, but don't comment on the sexism. . . . Girls are trained to be less than who they really are. They are trained to be what the culture wants of its young women, not what they themselves want to become.” WantLongYoungCultureGirlToo MuchAchieveAdultsBasesCaughtAppearanceBeing YourselfFeminineSexismCommentHeritageYoung WomenPoliteCultural Heritage Author:Mary Pipher
“When we Chinese girls listened to the adults talk-story, we learned that we failed if we grew up to be but wives or slaves. We could be heroines, swordswomen. Even if she had to rage across all China, a swordswoman got even with anybody who hurt her family. Perhaps women were once so dangerous that they had to have their feet bound.” IfsStoriesGirlHurtWifeFeetDangerousGrewGrew UpAdultsIndependenceSlaveBoundsChinaRageChineseHeroines Book:The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts Source: The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts
“This book blew me away. Kelly Parra writes with the keen eye of an artist. Graffiti Girl is warm, gutsy, and true-to-life - an unflinching, honest portrayal of young adults. A seamless and impressive debut.” WritingBookEyeYoungArtistGirlHonestAdultsYoung AdultWarmImpressiveGraffitiTrue LifeDebutPortrayalSeamless Author:Anne Frasier
“Little girls are cute and small only to adults. To one another they are not cute. They are life-sized.” ChildrenLittlesGirlParentFamilyChildhoodAdultsCuteCat Eye Book:Cat's Eye Source: Cat's Eye
“Boys are found everywhere - on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around or jumping to. Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers tolerate them, adults ignore them and Heaven protects them. A boy is Truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket.” LittlesRunningFacesMotherHateGirlFoundHeavenBoysCuttingBrotherHairBabyProtectAdultsFingersPocketsClimbingBubblesTolerateDirtBrothers And SistersJumpingFrogsGumMother LoveBaby BoyOlder SisterBubble Gum Author:Alan Beck
“It’s an odd term, 'girlfriend,' particularly for grown persons. And in practice it provides an even odder concept. Generally speaking, in adults it described a woman, not a girl, who was willing to provide sex, not friendship. In fact, from what I had observed it was quite possible for one to actively dislike one’s girlfriend, although of course true hatred is reserved for marriage.” PersonsFactsGirlCoursesSexTermPracticeWillingConceptsAdultsHatredOddGirlfriendDislikeReservedNot Friends Book:Dearly Devoted Dexter Source: Dearly Devoted Dexter