Reviving Ophelia

Western culture subscribes to many societal norms that harm the development and mental health of adolescent girls. Through media, schools, peer pressure, and sometimes even family pressure, girls are taught to behave in ways that are contradictory to their wellbeing. Gender norms prescript the ideals of beauty, submissiveness, and pleasantness onto girls, who often resort to extreme means to meet these expectations. Girls react to this pressure in a host of ways, some of which are positive and some detrimental. Girls who become obsessed with their appearance may develop anorexia or bulimia. Girls who cannot accept that they do not fit the mold often cope by using self-harm. Pipher sees this reaction “as a concrete interpretation of our culture’s injunction to young women to carve themselves into culturally acceptable pieces” (361). Girls may even allow themselves to be the victims of sexual assault as many falsely believe that they deserve it or they do not have a right to object. What this all means for girls is that they will often focus on their appearance or their appeal to boys and lose sight of their talents, skills, and potential. Girls are shaped by the culture they live in.