Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape

Peggy Orenstein’s initial impetus to research the book’s subject matter was her daughter approaching adolescence; Orenstein spent her career investigating the confusing messages girls receive during girlhood, but she hadn’t yet approached the world of teenage girls. Generations of feminists made many strides regarding equal rights, but it wasn’t clear whether these rights affected the sphere of girls’ agency regarding sex: “Girls now live in a culture where, increasingly, unless both parties agree unequivocally to a sexual encounter, there is no consent—only ‘yes means yes.’ All well and good, but what happens after yes?” (3).

In her interviews with over 70 young women, Orenstein discovered girls are still exposed to the ancient double standard in which sexually active girls are considered “sluts,” and girls who aren’t sexually active are stigmatized as “prudes” and “virgins.” Orenstein makes it clear that her sample of young women does not reflect the experiences of all American women; she chose to speak with those with privilege and the most options open to them. The majority were white, but there were also women of color. About 10% were lesbian or bisexual. Two were physically disabled. In their interviews, the girls revealed many instances of nonconsensual sex, and even the stories of consensual sex were discouraging.