Rachel Simmons and Peggy Orenstein, Authors and Experts on the Healthy Development of Young Women, Share Their Insights with the Marlborough Community

Rachel Simmons and Peggy Orenstein, Authors and Experts on the Healthy Development of Young Women, Share Their Insights with the Marlborough Community

Simmons worked with 7-10th graders, while Orenstein met with 11th-12th graders and Marlborough parents.

Rachel Simmons and Peggy Orenstein, Authors and Experts on the Healthy Development of Young Women, Share Their Insights with the Marlborough Community

On January 17th, Marlborough hosted best-selling authors and experts on the healthy development of young women, Rachel Simmons and Peggy Orenstein.

A Marlborough student favorite, Rachel SImmons is a nationally-renowned educator, workshop leader, and author of the bestseller The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence. In two sessions with students in grades 7-8 and then 9-10, Simmons continued her work towards empowering girls to have integrity, self-awareness, and personal authority. Students were able to explore and identify healthy versus toxic relationships, and Simmons provided them with tools to navigate the powerful social pressures to be "perfect."

In conjunction with Simmons' visit, Orenstein held a Q&A with our 11th and 12th graders regarding sexuality. A contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, Orenstein has been published in USA Today, Parenting, Salon, and the New Yorker, among other publications, and has contributed commentary to NPR's "All Things Considered."

In the evening, Orenstein spoke with Marlborough parents as well, focusing on the findings from her research for her latest book Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape, including the influence of society's portrayal of sexuality, hook-up culture, issues of reciprocity in relationships, and how self knowledge can raise the expectation girls have for physical intimacy.

You can find out more about Rachel Simmons and Peggy Orenstein at www.rachelsimmons.com and www.peggyorenstein.com.


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