57 Quotes by Peggy Orenstein

The idea that there could be one solution to breast cancer- screening, early detection, some universal cure- is certainly appealing. All of us, those who fear the disease, those who live with it, our friends and families, the corporations who swath themselves in pink, wish it were true. Wearing a bracelet, sporting a ribbon, running a race, or buying a pink blender expresses our hopes and that feels good - even virtuous. But making a difference is more complicated than that.

Maybe learning to live with the question marks, recognizing that closure does not always occur, is all I really needed to do.I hadn't expected, coming from a world that fights to see life's beginnings in black and white, to be so comforted by a shade of gray.The notion of the water child made sense to me. What I had experienced was not a full life, nor was it a full death, but it was a real loss.

What this means for parents is that you never know what your child’s “sex education” class may entail. Only fourteen states require that sex ed be medically accurate.

The key may be to keep the bright light of public attention shining. According to a study by the American Psychological Association, the reported numbers of assaults increase an average of about 44 percent when campuses are under formal scrutiny. Afterward, though, they sink back to their original levels, indicating that some schools provide a more accurate picture of sexual assault only when forced to do so.

The notion is called wabi-sabi life, like the cherry blossom, it is beautiful because of its impermanence, not in spite of it, more exquisite for the inevitability of loss.

The point of creativity is to express and challenge yourself, to make meaning, to embrace your life.

All girls over age 14 remove pubic hair. The only touching is to remove hair. That’s grim.

Effectively, it makes the greasepaint permanent, blurring the lines not only between public and private but also between the authentic and contrived self. If all the world was once a stage, it has now become a reality TV show: we mere players are not just aware of the camera; we mug for it.

Sexualization is the performance of sexuality, the performance of sexiness. Girls are super good at that now.