Girls 'would rather look pretty than have brains'

 

By GWYNETH REES - More by this author » Last updated at 09:27am on 10th December 2007 Comments

In years past, education and equality were highly valued by women. But today, it seems, all teenage girls want is to look pretty.

Celebrities such as Paris Hilton are brainwashing young women into believing good looks, promiscuity and a lavish lifestyle are synonymous with success, claims a leading female academic.

American lawyer and analyst Carol Platt Liebau claims there is 'scant' recognition or respect for women's achievements unless they revolve around sex.

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A leading academic has blamed Paris Hilton for brainwashing young girls

 

And she claims that today's culture is undermining girls' sense of worth in their most vulnerable formative years.

In her latest book, Prude: How the Sex Obsessed Culture Damages Girls, Mrs Liebau says Britney Spears and Christian Aguilera have traded on their sex appeal to become famous.

She claims that teenage girls are growing up in a culture where it is preferable to be labelled a 'slut' rather than a 'prude'.

The world, she says, endorses sexiness as the ultimate accolade and diminishes intelligence, character and other accomplishments of women.

'The new female imperative is that it is only through promiscuity and sexual aggression that girls can achieve admiration and recognition,' she said.

'Girls are being led to believe they are in control when it comes to sexual relationships but they're actually living in a profoundly anti-feminist landscape where girls compete for attention on the basis of how much they are sexually willing to do for boys.'

In her book, to be published in Britain next month, Mrs Liebau, also managing editor of Harvard Law Review, says there was too much pressure on girls to look 'bone slim'.

'Living in an overly sexualised culture takes a toll on girls,' she wrote.

'The emphasis on sexiness revealing fashions and the overvaluing of physical appeal creates pressure to measure up to bone-slim models or celebrities and leads to unrealistic expectations among young women about how their own bodies should look.'

Her comments have been echoed by Tory MP Anne Widdecombe who has said women such as Rachel Weisz and Lily Cole, both intelligent and good looking, are much better role models for girls.

She said: 'Young women are concentrating on all the things that are not important.'

Of course the real culprit is all the really nice, smart guys who prefer to date brainless pretty girls and just be friends with the smart pretty ones. :bomb:

I dont really think Paris Hilton is that pretty.

And why would guys want to have sex with really skinny girls? I dont get it.

 

*sigh*

 

But the article is true though. I dont know why, but girls seem to dumb themsleves down for guys. But then again, guys my age aren't into intelligent conversations. :dozey:

THe fact that most fashion geared to young girls promotes the slutty image is what bothers me. I'm not saying we should be wearing full-length flannel gowns,lol. But I don't want to see an 8-year-old wearing a shirt with a slutty slogan on it.:(

^I agree. It's disgusting.:veryangry:

THe fact that most fashion geared to young girls promotes the slutty image is what bothers me. I'm not saying we should be wearing full-length flannel gowns,lol. But I don't want to see an 8-year-old wearing a shirt with a slutty slogan on it.:(

 

exactly. A good example is my sister....she's 11 years old and last friday we went shopping with my mum and all we could find for her were those girly shirts that looked rather slutty than nice..