Picture the Girl: Young Women Speak Their Minds

by Audrey Shehyn

An eloquent, powerful, and inspiring celebration of teenage girls in pictures and words Ashley, Age 14: "Who am I I don't really know. I'm still figuring that out. I think it's part of being at this age. I'm changing now--I can't say that I'm totally a child, and I can't say that I'm totally a woman, because I'm not that experienced. I'm right in-between." Startling for the beauty of its images and the expressiveness of its subjects, this collection of photographs and essays captures the diverse experience of growing up female in America. In Picture the Girl, thirty-five teenage girls from all walks of life talk about the things that matter most to them--friendship, body image, motherhood, sexuality, peer pressure, loneliness, and success. Their first-person accounts offer valuable insights into the emotional transformation girls undergo on their way to becoming women, while Audrey Shehyn's remarkable photographs present a sensitive and perceptive picture of female identity. Like the bestselling Ophelia Speaks and Sisters, Picture the Girl speaks to the crucial role that self-esteem plays in a girl's future well-being. This compelling book by and for teenagers, as well as for adults who care about them, is filled with hope, recognition, and the certainty that their voices can and will be heard.

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 2000

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I don't have time for a boyfriend. He would just be in my
way. I'm going to have to be worried about him some of the time, if he going outside to do some old drugs. He leave you, cheat on you, you know you going to be stressin' over him. Sorry, I don't need no extra problems right now. I'm trying to get my education, get to college, get my degree, get my money young. I want to be a pediatrician. I just have a lot of goals. If I could do it, believe me. I'm going to do it.”

This was an excellent book, highlighting the wide and varied experiences of such a vulnerable age groups that is so greatly impacted by their culture, and yet, they are so strong.

[Thelma]

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