Real Girl Real World: A Guide to Finding Your True Self

Teen girls receive mixed messages about who they should be—and what they should look like—from all facets of society. It’s no wonder they have difficulty finding out who they really are. This snappy, straight-talking guide—a veritable Our Bodies, Ourselves for teens—helps girls make up their own minds about what kind of people they want to be. Exploring a wide range of topics central to young women’s lives—including beauty and the media; body image, ethnicity and self-esteem; eating disorders and healthy nutrition; sexual anatomy, safe sex and much more—the authors dispel myths, put issues in perspective, and give girls the power to choose for themselves.

Heather M. Gray received her master’s degree in health behavior and health education from UNC Chapel Hill. She has worked as a full-time research assistant for an eating disorder study and co-authored three articles on the subject. She is currently a senior researcher for a teen pregnancy program Manhattan. Samantha Phillips received her master’s degree in education from Lesley College. She has worked as a researcher in educational psychology on the topics of reading comprehension and learning disabilities at Columbia University. Her writing has appeared a number of magazines and journals. She is currently working under former Clinton Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala at the University of Miami.