Thousands Of Teenage Girls Took Part In A New Study. What They Revealed Should Terrify You.
Originally published by Lisa Hinkelman for Yahoo
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.