The Teenage Girls’ Survival Bible – a book review

The Teenage Girls’ Survival Bible has a title that grabs your attention. It is true that teenage girls are facing more pressures than every before. The social  media networks drives them to tweak themselves into something they may not be. News and campaigns let them know that there are bad people in the world who really are out to abuse them. So I was keen to review The Teenage Girl’s Survival Bible.

The Teenage Girls’ Survival Bible

Make-up artist to the stars, Jane Bradley has written  an illustrated guide for girls navigating their tricky teenage years. It is full of tips, tricks and cautions from make-up and looking good to big issues like sex, drugs and booze.

What my teenage daughter thought

My daughter was keen to look at the book and spent good hour or more reading it immediately. From time to time, she  would giggle and quote from the advice given. It wasn’t long before she was taking it to her bedroom for further reading. It certainly got her reading and took her away from her screens and her artwork.

What is covered in the book

The author writes about  boys and break-ups, friendships and love, bullying and panic attacks, depression and self-esteem. There’s tonnes of advice about your body too; from bad breath to B.O., periods, contraception and pregnancy. Going out? You’ll need to be ‘Streetwise’. Considering a tattoo or body piercing? Experimenting with drugs? Online dating? I smiled a little as I thought some older women including myself could learn from some of the tips given.

As a make-up artist to the stars, author Jane Bradley also shares her years of insider knowledge on make-up, skincare, hair care and style.

What I thought about the book

I liked the informal and conversational style. It was easy to read and get through quickly or to dip in and out of from time to time. Readers could just go to the sections that interested them most at the time. However, in the end for me it was heavily focused on image and seemed to send a bit of a mixed message. On the one hand, it was encouraging girls to be themselves but then spent a lot of time telling them how to make themselves different and attractive to boys. It did seem this book was aimed at heterosexual girls. I also thought there was not a firm enough message about the sense in not taking drugs or using alcohol only in very good moderation. Probably the bits I liked most as a mum were the quite random parts on washing label instructions and on quick fix meals.

Conclusion

If you have a teenage girl who wants to know how to put on make-up and make herself acceptable to boys, this is the book for you. My daughter was brought up by a mum who rarely if ever wears make-up and believes every woman is beautiful in her own right. So my daughter says she does not think she is gorgeous, she knows she is! Having said that, she enjoyed the book so perhaps buy it and make up your own mind.

ISBN: 9781789014464 Price: £15.99