Don't Call Me Princess

The New York Times bestselling author of Girls & Sex and Cinderella Ate My Daughter delivers her first ever collection of essays—funny, poignant, deeply personal and sharply observed pieces, drawn from three decades of writing, which trace girls’ and women’s progress (or lack thereof) in what Orenstein once called a “half-changed world.” Named one of the “40 women who changed the media business in the last 40 years” by Columbia Journalism Review, Peggy Orenstein is one of the most prominent, unflinching feminist voices of our time. Her writing has broken ground and broken silences on topics as wide-ranging as miscarriage, motherhood, breast cancer, princess culture and the importance of girls’ sexual pleasure. Her unique blend of investigative reporting, personal revelation and unexpected humor has made her books bestselling classics. In Don’t Call Me Princess, Orenstein’s most resonant and important essays are available for the first time in collected form, updated with both an original introduction and personal reflections on each piece. Her takes on reproductive justice, the infertility industry, tensions between working and stay-at-home moms, pink ribbon fear-mongering and the complications of girl culture are not merely timeless—they have, like Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, become more urgent in our contemporary political climate. Don’t Call Me Princess offers a crucial evaluation of where we stand today as women—in our work lives, sex lives, as mothers, as partners—illuminating both how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go. How far have women really come, and what do their stories tell us about our past, present, and future? Princess Culture & Girlhood: An unflinching look at the commercialization of girlhood, from the rise of pink-and-sparkly toys to the mixed messages girls receive about their bodies and futures. Reproductive Justice: Timely and urgent takes on everything from the infertility industry to abortion rights, exploring the political, personal, and cultural battles being fought over women's bodies. Motherhood & Work: A nuanced exploration of the tensions between working and stay-at-home moms, the myth of the perfect mother, and the cultural pressures that shape the modern maternal experience. Body Image & Sexuality: Deeply personal reflections on women's experiences, from breaking the silence on breast cancer and miscarriage to the importance of girls' sexual pleasure and health.