Do you think it would be okay to buy the book even if I don’t have daughter?

Thats what I'm doing. :D

I've got a daughter. She's only 4, but I figure you can't start too early these days. I can't wait until this book comes out.

Another fantastic book dealing with similar subjects is Ariel Levy's "Female Chauvinist Pigs." It deals with "raunch culture" and the ways in which it has pervaded society and changed/affected the feminist movement.

She does a much better job of articulating her message than I just did, by the way.

Heck, I'm going to get it for my mother, even though her only daughter is a 20-something feminist.

sounds right up my alley. i'll keep an eye out for it at Women and Children First here in Chicago this summer....

We'll be getting this whether ours is a boy or girl, it's about time someone spoke up about this!

As for your question, "Do you think it would be okay to buy the book even if I don’t have daughter?" - as a mother of two daughters, ages 11 and 6, I say "hell yes."

Now I should call your attention to a small typo. We all make them, but some of them are more apt than others. Above, you have typed out the book's subtitle as "Rescuing Our Daughters From Markers’ Schemes." Markers, as in those who mark our girls, who regard them in the most egregiously casual terms as "marks."

Marketers, Markers... same difference, indeed.

I have two sons, one of whom has a girl as his best friend. (Katie's birthday is two days after Andy's. They were in the same daycare from ages 9 months through 5 years.) Katie's mom and I frequently moan about the sorry state of marketing to kids. I wish, though, that the writer had addressed boys as well. (Let's hope she writes another book.) I don't want to see my son turn into a violent, anti-learning nitwit with an attitude and a taste for showing off the elastic on his underwear. Marketers go for the lowest of low common denominators.

Do you think it would be okay to buy the book even if I don’t have daughter?

Sure. You *are* a daughter.

that's a great point, david... i mean, all of us could use a little deconditioning, regardless of our ages...

*sigh*

Sure, go ahead and get the book. But, WE all know how to coach our daughters against all of this already, I'm guessing.

It's all those OTHER parents out there who don't give a crap, who keep this stuff going.

(Sorry if I sound defeatist...)

Thanks for the link, Vanessa! It's going on my Auntie gifts list.

You can pretend I'm your daughter and buy it for me.

Scarbo:

Sorry you are being defeatist, but some of us *don't* have the foggiest idea how to "coach our daughters against all of this". I don't have children yet, but many of my friends do and they look at the sad state of marketing to children in this country like a deer in headlights. They have no idea what to do or where to start. Hell I have no idea what to do or where to start. This book gives people a place to start. Not all of us are parenting or marketing specialists.

Eek. Thanks so much for pointing that out, Victoria!

The title of the post kind of scared me until I read the body. Sounds like an interesting read, I may have to get it for my sister.

I'm sorry Sarah. I didn't mean to put anyone down by my message. I was really first reacting to the original post by reflecting on all those out there who probably vastly outnumber those of us who do care and want to change things. I mean, after all, WHY are things marketed the way they are? Because consumers respond positively, that's why. WHY are TV shows and movies so trashy? Because we vote with our feet and our dollars, that's why. That's not how I'M voting or spending, but clearly I'm in the minority. And that's what depresses me.

Anyway, I also figured since I'm just a dumb white guy the rest of you on this site would be way ahead of me on this. I know it's a big topic with my sister and her daughter. And, I do try to talk to my 15-year-old as much as I can about it, while at the same time, running the risk of being tuned out because I'm "old fashioned" or nagging.

Hey... maybe I should get this book! :-)

scarbo,

a couple of things strike me about what you wrote. the key thing, though, is the last bit, about appearing to be "'old fashioned' or nagging." i hope that this book actually treats how to disenfranchise the commodification and consumerifying (i just verbed that word for fitz, if he's reading) while appearing current and more appealing than the ads themselves.

personally, i think a big problem today is (in the broadest sense possible) that negativity is so well marketed and positivity so poorly marketed. even sarcasm has somehow been spun to be much more sexy (marketing sexy, not necessarily sex sexy) than sincerity.

crazy. too late to be getting all deep, but i think that's a really good point.