What exactly are we being sold?
Recently I have been reading a fairly intriguing nonfiction book called “Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers’ Schemes,” by Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown.
Unlike other popular nonfiction books such as “Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities,” this book doesn’t really focus in on lives and doesn’t form a type of storyline but definitely focuses on the facts.
Written by two mothers, they bring up interesting points and point out various “marketing schemes” set out there to entice girls. Although they take a slightly feminist parent’s point of view at times, the information has gotten me to notice my surroundings.
For example, each chapter focuses on various age groups and tells of the mothers’ different explorations into teenagers’ favorite stores. During one trip they went out looking for a plain T-shirt. No slogans, not low-cut, no brand-name logos, etc. Just a plain T-shirt, and all they could find was one red shirt at a JC Penney.
So then I thought about it myself: There is no way. I see plenty of normal T-shirts when I go to the mall. First thing that came to mind was Abercrombie, which sells plain shirts … but they all have the Abercrombie moose or are low-cut or tight fitting.
That narrowed out Abercrombie, as well as Aeropostale, American Eagle, and Hollister. Then I thought that surely Wet Seal or Bergners carried plain T-shirts, but then thinking back to my previous experiences I realized that their T-shirt selections had various designs on the front such as little hearts or were decorated with rhinestones/glitter/etc. So … maybe there aren’t very many places that actually sell plan T-shirts after all.
But what girl wants to wear a plain T-shirt? I most certainly would prefer the nice fitting camisole vs. the boy shirt! Which was another point touched upon: Starting as little as Disney princesses in bikini tops (“Little Mermaid”) we are taught to “dress to impress.”
And despite this realization that we are taught to think this way, as expected by the authors, I don’t personally plan on doing a 180 and changing my wardrobe altogether. Because we are taught that the tomboy girls, the nongirly girls, are outsiders — and no one wants to be an outsider.
One passage, titled “From Romance to Porn,” describes the authors’ views on how we are tricked into thinking we have a wide range of options to see at the movies, when in reality the movie selection is very limited.
“A teen girl may think she has a myriad of choices at the movies when she is out with her friends. She can see a romance that is a step more sophisticated than the princess movies. She can see a romance/comedy that includes a bumbling, rude, but loveable male character (typically played by a comic actor such as Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell) that draws the boys into the movie too, similar to ‘50 First Dates’ and ‘Fever Pitch.’ She can see a horror film that may have a strong woman [who is] porn-star sexy (as she runs in the rain, for example, from her stalker, her blouse will get wet, and her nipples will show through). A teenage girl can see a ‘boy comedy’ where all the girls in the film will serve as types the boys can choose from; there is always a sexy girl and a good girl among them. Or she can go to an action movie where the woman looks like a blown-up sex doll that a boy puppeteer is controlling on the set, keeping her sexy during all her leaps, flips, and laser saber fights. She’ll be the kind of woman who appeals to boys — so strong that she’s over the top and so busty that she’s over the bra. She’s a fantasy woman, but she’s no girl’s fantasy.”
Basically, this book has definitely given me a slightly humorous insight into the various ideas and “schemes” advertisers use to manipulate us, using examples from our beloved Disney classics to “The OC,” and even managing to find support in shows such as “Dora the Explorer.”
Although I don’t think I will change my style or behavior as a result of this book, I think it’s a worthwhile read so as to get an idea of your everyday surroundings and how they are constantly affecting you.
— Lizzy Warner