HuffPost: Thousands Of Teenage Girls Took Part In A New Study. What They Revealed Should Terrify You.
"As I watch my own young daughter grow, these statistics take on a new, urgent meaning.”
By Lisa Hinkelman on HuffPost Personal
For nearly two decades, I’ve dedicated my career to understanding and addressing the challenges facing young women. As the founder of Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX), I’ve had the privilege of researching the lives of more than 50,000 girls across the United States. This journey, which began with my faculty research in 2006, has given me unprecedented insights into the complex world of girlhood in this country.
But my journey didn’t start in a research lab or a counselor’s office. It began in the body of an insecure preteen who hit puberty way too early and felt like a giant among her peers.
Picture a 12-year-old girl who looked 18, towering over classmates, grappling with a changing body that seemed to have a mind of its own. That girl was me. I was strong, athletic and competitive at a time when female strength was often seen as unfeminine. I remember the sideways glances, the whispers, the constant feeling of not fitting in — not with the girls, not with the boys, not even in my own skin.
Worries about my weight and my body image? They were constant companions — uninvited guests that took up far too much space in my young mind. I struggled with the contradiction of being proud of my athletic abilities while simultaneously wishing I could shrink myself to fit societal expectations.
As I reflect on my journey, I can’t help but think about the times I was told I was “too loud,” had “too many opinions,” or simply didn’t follow the expectations set for girls. It was a constant battle between being true to myself and fitting into the mold society had created for me. And you know what? Our research shows this struggle persists for girls today.