Katie is dying to fit in. Literally. She’s a bulimic high school freshman who drinks and hangs out with the mean girls. Maybe you know someone like her?
Or there’s Cindy, a high school junior who acts like everything is always OK. She plays three sports, earns straight As, and parties on the weekends, but she also struggles with depression,
perfectionism, and addiction.
Girl Talk: Boys, Bullies and Body Image is a book about teens designed
specifically for a teen audience. It’s a compilation of 10 teen girls’
powerful and all-too-familiar stories. Dr. Carol also examines each girl’s
situation and provides practical advice on how all teens can take
control of their life and RAISE (Resilience, Attitude, Independence,
Self-Respect and Empowerment) their self-esteem.
Seventy-five percent of teenage girls with self-esteem issues (have reported) engaging in negative activities such as: smoking, drinking, bullying, cutting, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior, and even suicide attempts. Story telling is a very powerful form of acceptance and self healing.
Targeted Age Group:: Teens (13-18)
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I’m a former University Dean and Associate Provost, trained therapist, researcher, educational consultant and writer. During my training, I counseled hundreds of clients in one-on-one sessions as well as in group settings, mostly working with college freshman dealing with transitional and developmental issues on campus. My primary research focus is female self-esteem development among teens. My dissertation “The effects of single gender versus coeducational environments on the self-esteem development and academic competence of high school females” focused on 15-year-old girls in the SF Bay Area where my research findings showed disturbingly low levels of self-esteem across the board. This staggering discovery led me to further research this topic and write my book.
Book Sample
Chapter 3
Katie: The Reality Show
I am a six or seven out of 10 on the scale of self-esteem.
I am not some teenage girl on the Disney Channel who writes in a diary and cries about a boy who doesn’t like her. No, that’s not deep enough. That downgrades my issues.
I don’t have a diary.
I don’t write, “Dear diary, so-and-so doesn’t like me back.”
No – when I have a bad day, I scream, punch pillows, and listen to angry music at the highest volume until everything else fades away.
Or I smoke weed.
Or, I used to throw up until I passed out.
Have you ever seen that on the Disney Channel?
I am a six or seven, but this wasn’t always the case. There is one thing I need you to clearly understand about me before you walk away: I HATE who I was a year ago. Who I am today, right now, is not who I was even a couple months ago.
I have struggled with bulimia since the fourth grade.
I’ve always kind of had people make fun of me for my weight. I’m not fat but I’m not thin. Boys especially like to point this out every chance they get. Like recently a guy told my friend that I was a chunky girl. He said that only black guys would ever like me because they’re the only ones who could handle my “thickness.”
What? Excuse me?
I’ve come a long way. I would usually take a comment like that to heart, but this time I didn’t let it affect me. This time, I confronted him…well, yelled at him actually.
But the main source of my bulimia doesn’t stem from cruel comments about my weight.
It all started in the third grade when my dad moved away. My mom was kind of unstable. Sometimes she was more than kind of unstable; she was CRAZY. Other times she would just come home from work, go to her bedroom, and shut her door for the night. About a year ago, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. But at the time I had no idea. No idea at all what was going on with her.
So I raised my sister and me. Even though she is older, I helped her with her homework and did her laundry…She’s kind of a princess. I was always the one making meals, doing the chores, all that stuff. It got to be too much. A fourth grader shouldn’t be cooking dinner every night and making lunches every morning, you know?
I felt like I was losing control of my life. I had to put myself and my energy into something.
So I put them into throwing up.
About the Author:
Dr Carol Langlois is a trained therapist, researcher, higher education administrator of over 18 years, consultant, author and playwright.
Her primary research focus is female self-esteem development among teens. Presently, she hosts a blog to offer practical advise and guidance on self-esteem issues as a tool for parents and teens. She also tweets articles, tips and blog posts related to self-esteem. An adaptation of her book has been put on stage co-produced by Suze Allen and 3Girls Theatre Company of San Francisco.
Education
Doctorate in Education from the University of San Francisco
Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Fairfield University
Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Salem State College
Links to Purchase Print Books
Link to Buy Girl Talk: Boys, Bullies and Body Image Print Edition at Amazon
Link to Buy Girl Talk: Boys, Bullies and Body Image Print Edition at Barnes and Noble
Links to Purchase eBooks
Link To Buy Girl Talk: Boys, Bullies and Body Image On Amazon
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