Sexy Girls ~ Hayley DiMarco

Publisher: Hungry Planet (2006)
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3084-0
153 pgs

Classification: YA non-fiction
Genre: Self-help
Age Level: 13+

Reader’s Annotation: DiMarco helps young women to analyze the messages they send to others when they wear sexy clothes.

Summary: DiMarco discusses the difference between accidental image and purposeful image. Though we may not like to admit it, we make judgments about others based on their appearance and attire. Thus, asserts DiMarco, a young woman must understand the importance of being her own PR specialist and taking control of the image she presents to others, especially males. If a girl wears revealing clothes, she suggests that her body is “on the menu,” perhaps without even realizing that she is sending this message. On the other hand, by dressing modestly, a girl sends a clear message about her values. DiMarco guides the reader to walk through her own closet and examine message she sends with the clothes she chooses.

Notes: DiMarco’s basic message—that, like it or not, clothes say something about the person wearing them—is a great one, but some readers may be turned off by the fact that her ideas are rooted in Christianity. Throughout the book are Old and New Testament scripture quotes. Initially, DiMarco’s tone is accessible and inoffensive, but by the final third of the book, she preaches more, in particular about the need to befriend other believers in order to remain true to one’s convictions.
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