Why being a ‘Good Girl’ can be bad

Girls are taught to be selfless and modest — and this can actually hurt them

Polite, selfless and modest — this is how a '"good girl" is taught to behave. But, in her book "The Curse of the Good Girl," author Rachel Simmons writes that this paradigm actually diminishes girls' power and potential to succeed.


An excerpt.

Introduction
Our culture is teaching girls to embrace a version of selfhood that sharply curtails their power and potential. In particular, the pressure to be “Good” — unerringly nice, polite, modest, and selfless — diminishes girls’ authenticity and personal authority.

The Curse of the Good Girl erects a psychological glass ceiling that begins its destructive sprawl in girlhood and extends across the female life span, stunting the growth of skills and habits essential to becoming a strong woman. This book traces the impact of the curse on girls’ development, and provides parents with the strategies to break its spell.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32631120/ns/today-today_books/