It’s all about answering the question, “Who am I?” If we don’t want our daughters to emulate Disney princesses and Barbies, then why would we want them to have them? Disney is sexist, and a real-life Barbie’s chest would be so heavy she’d have to walk on all fours. Is this what we want for our daughters? And skirts and sleeves should never be the focus, but rather the expression of who our daughters (hopefully) know themselves to be. A girl who knows who she is will want to look pretty in a way that says, “I look good not because that’s what gives me value, but because a person who HAS value on the inside deserves also to look good on the outside!” Just as a diamond ring doesn’t go into a cheap, painted-up cardboard box but into an elegant jewelry box, so too a girl whose inside is precious shouldn’t look frumpy but beautiful–in a way that draws attention past her outside to her inside, just as the jewelry box makes you aware that its contents are precious.

Have you received any negative reactions? If so, what were they? I’ve been told that while I’m famous among seminary girls, I’m infamous among their boyfriends. One guy told me there’s a contract out on me. Another guy told me what I have to say is @#$*. But I take it all as a compliment–that what I wrote was provocative enough to evoke a strong yetzer hara response!