Am I Pretty Enough Yet?

Book excerpt: Am I Pretty Enough Yet? is a self-help book aimed at 13- to 18-year-old girls, designed to empower them as they navigate their teenage years and grow into young women. Inspired by the many girls she has worked with – and the numerous insecurities, fears and pressures they experience – Julia Armstrong has created a book which is pitched directly at teenagers. Candid and informal, it ranges across topics such as beauty, weight, celebrity culture, sex, social media and body hair. It will answer many of the questions teenage girls have and support them in dealing with the challenges of contemporary society. “Boys have many difficulties too but this book is for the girls, and the world they have to negotiate today is far harder than my own was and is some cause for concern. What is expected of them, of you, from all angles is for many unobtainable and for all unreasonable. It seems to me, that in many ways, girls have it harder than ever before.” Self-esteem is the most powerful tool a woman can have, but few young women are born with it. Many women, especially young girls, can feel that they are not good enough, not pretty enough or not slim enough. The goal of this book is to help remedy this, empowering young girls to look after and fortify their emotional well-being. Challenging modern stereotypes, it provides teenage girls with a guide on how to deal with the negative pressure from the media and peer groups and the pressure teenagers often put on themselves. Written by a teacher with over 20 years' experience dealing with the issues it covers, Am I Pretty Enough Yet? offers self-help tools and techniques to build up self-esteem in young women.