Girls Uncovered: New Research on What America's Sexual Culture Does to Young Women

Girls Uncovered: New Research on What America's Sexual Culture Does to Young Women is a book that will infuriate you and inspire you at the same time. I find myself angry towards the present day culture and absolutely passionate about promoting purity for young women (and older women!) everywhere. It is, quite simply, a Must Read in a world gone sexually mad.

Girls Uncovered was written by Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., MD and Freda McKissic Bush, MD, two obstetricians as well as parents to daughters. They wrote this book to offer guidance to parents in the form of research and scientific fact so that parents will better be able to "help [their] daughter[s] safely navigate today's sexual culture." They approach the topic of sex in a matter of fact way which is also "hard hitting" and straight forward. I can't think it would be very easy to argue with the information that they provide within the covers of this book. Their supreme motivation is to assure parents and daughters alike that abstinence is not only something that can be achieved prior to marriage, but that is must be achieved for optimal sexual, mental and physical health of the woman.

"As doctors and parents with years of experience and research, we've concluded that the standards of today's sexual culture - namely, that young women engage in sex with many partners, starting at a relatively young age - simply aren't in young women's best interests. The new sexual norm for young people don't lead to the outcomes that young women consistently say they want as measured by virtually any indicator of health and well-being. We want to sound the alarm, not in order to limit young women's sexual lives and futures, but in order to enhance them - indeed, to rescue them. (Chapter 1, Hopes, Dreams, and Fears, page 9-10)

The authors go on to explain in their opening chapters what statistics show that young women hope to achieve in life. (The majority of them stating that they want a successful career as well as a stable, lifelong marriage and healthy family.) These authors and doctors lay out evidence that a young woman who engages in early and frequent sexual experiences is actually hurting their chances of being able to achieve their stated goals by introducing real-life threats of sexual transmitted infections. (They prefer to call it an infection rather than a disease due to the fact that many women do not realize that they have been infected by a sexual encounter until years down the road, these infections then causing diseases.) They also mention emotional and physical scars, possible pregnancies and the effects of having an abortion. (The authors do not focus on abortion in great detail. They simply mention it as a possible effect of a sexual encounter and indicate to the reader that there are more dangers involved in having an abortion than some would lead you to believe. They introduce questions about abortions but they do not purpose to provide answers within these pages.)

One thing I particularly appreciated about Girls Uncovered is that the authors are very strong advocates for parents and parental responsibilities. They communicate over and over again how vital and important the role of parents are - both moms and dads - in their daughter's lives. (It rather goes without saying that a set of parents are important in the lives of a son as well. Given the fact that this book deals specifically with the subject of daughters, their argument is for the fairer sex throughout the book.) The authors strongly believe that it is the responsibility of the parents to guide their daughter through life, offering her wisdom, advice and information as well as to offer a covering of protection for her to keep her safe from the modern sexual culture.

"Despite the native intelligence and all the advantages we can give them, all babies, young children, and adolescents are vulnerable. They are vulnerable to being hurt. They are vulnerable to being influenced for good, and they are vulnerable to being influenced for bad. There is a reason they have been given parents." (Chapter Two, Girls: Covered or Uncovered?, page 19)

I want to point out the fact that McIlhaney and McKissic Bush do not push a parenting style that is heavy handed or legalistic. Rather, they emphasize the special role that parents have been given, demonstrating with facts and figures that parents are the most influential people in a young woman's life, all while cautioning the use of honest and open communication and operating out of a spirit of gentleness and respect towards one's female offspring. I was very impressed with the tone that they maintained throughout the book.

"There are many reasons that today's girls and young women engage in acts their mothers and grandmothers would have found unthinkable at the same age. We cannot simply tell them these choices are wrong or unhealthy and they should "just say no" (though the choices are often not healthy). We need to understand and respond to the societal norms and expectations that influence young women's thinking and behavior." (Chapter Three, The Sexual Lives of Teens and Young Adults, page 29)

This book is quite literally filled with statistics and a summary of various reports. It is designed to help/cause a parents to feel the need to protect their young daughters. I'm not going to take the time to quote their sources to you in this review. If you want to know the specifics of what they shared and where they got their information, you'll have to grab a copy of this book. I'm far more interested in making note of the fact that this is a most excellent resource for parents. That said, they do address various lies which they believe society has fed to our girls, including the following:

1. The lie that boys and girls are the same. The authors explain in logical terms why this cannot be true.

2. A lie they call the "Supergirl Phenomenon" that says that girls can "have it all." By this they mean the casual sexual "hookups" so prevalent today, to "tide girls over" until their careers are established. The general idea is that girls can engage in casual sex while pursuing a career and then have the committed relationship and family afterwards. They explain why they believe this is a lie.

3. The lie that cohabitation is smart.

McIlhaney and McKissic Bush finish up their book with suggestions for society and warnings of what will happen if we do not, in fact, chose to start re-providing a covering for our girls. I'll end with this note which is specifically addressed to parents:

"Parenting is not for the faint of heart or the uninvolved. If you want to protect and support your daughter, it will cost you - in terms of time, money, effort, even relational pain. But think of this as a calling, and the costs as investments - because the payoff in the life of your daughter has a much better likelihood of surviving and thriving during these difficult years if you stay engaged and provide the "cover" she so desperately needs. For a girl uncovered is a girl at risk." (Chapter Three, The Sexual Lives of Teens and Adults, page 34)

Quite simply, I think that everyone ought to read this book. The culture as we know it needs a good shake-up. Some of us have dared to be different for awhile now and we must press on. I'm grateful for this book that dares to challenge the lies which our modern culture is feeding to our young women. I do hope you will read and consider it.

Many, many thanks to Moody Publishers for shooting a copy of this book my way in exchange for sharing my opinions on it.