Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

The second book in the series that represents the second stage of growing up female in which the girl learns
to deny her sexuality.
Meyer, Stephenie. Eclipse. New York: Little, Brown And Company, 2007. Print.
The third book in the series that deals with a girl’s struggle to reconcile the control of her sexuality and its
expression in order to become a functioning member of society and an acceptable woman.
Meyer, Stephenie. Breaking Dawn. New York: Little, Brown And Company, 2008. Print.
Fourth and last book in the series that offers the solutions for femininity. For Meyer, these are marriage and
motherhood.
Pipher, PH.D, Mary. Reviving Ophelia. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1994. Print.
Mary Pipher uses her work as a therapist for adolescent girls to define the period in their development in
which the girls lose themselves and become inauthentic. She makes the argument that the culture promotes
a passive, sexualized ideal to young women and through socialization teaches them to be docile and focused
on pleasing others. She uses case studies and research to lend credence to her argument. It is an easy book
to read, though she tends to rely too heavily on generalizations.
Shalit, Wendy. A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue. New York: The Free Press,
1999. Print.
Shalit makes the argument that women and girls want to be modest and it is only the over-sexualized
culture that teaches them sex is the only way to get attention and validation. She is part of the Modesty
Movement that promotes an asexualized girl (until she gets married, but even then she wants to bake
cookies more than have sex). Female pleasure, desire, and initiative are not part of a wholesome young
woman for Shalit. She reinforces the dangers of sex and sexuality (emotional and physical) for girls and gives
credence to the virgin/whore dichotomy (either you are a virgin and a good girl, or a whore and bad girl.
There is no in between or healthy sexuality).
Valenti, Jessica. The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young
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