Excerpts from TEEN SISTERS' HEALTH
A Body, Mind, & Spirit Wellness Guide for Girls of Color PDF
by Linda Bradley, MD, and M. LaVora Perry

Get Adobe Reader to read PDF files

“WHAT KIND OF BAD MESSAGES ABOUT GIRLS ARE OUT THERE?”
Here are some hurtful messages that you may receive even when no one says them out loud:  

• Being a person of color is bad.

• Dark skin, full lips and certain types of noses are ugly.

• Nappy, kinky, and short hair is ugly.

• Caucasian people are better than people of color.

• The more money a person has, the more important and special the person is.

• Being severely thin (underweight) is better than having a curvy body.

• Girls with big breasts are better than girls with small breasts.

• The most important thing about a girl is whether people think she’s pretty.

• Girls should not be too short or too tall.

• Girls should always be shorter than guys.

• Guys are better than girls.

• Girls fight with each other—especially about guys.

• Even if she has a better idea than a guy has, a girl should always let guys make final or important decisions.

• Girls are only good for one thing—having sex.

• Girls should have sex.

• Girls should wear “sexy” clothes to attract guys.

• Girls are b_ tches and h_ es.

• Girls gossip a lot.

• Girls are weak.

• Girls should be quiet.

• Smart girls are boring.

• Girls who study are boring.

• Girls who act dumb on purpose are pretty.

• Girls should act dumb around guys.

• Girls can’t own their own businesses.

• Girls should drop out of high school.

• Girls can’t go to college.

• Girls should drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, and take illegal drugs.

• Girls should have babies before they’re grown up and married.

If the messages above were part of a True or False quiz, every answer would be FALSE. The truth? Girls are young queens, deserve respect, and can do and be anything! (Book 1, introduction to Part 1)

DOCTOR'S VISIT: “I want girls to be able to look themselves in the mirror and know they can accept the consequences of sexual activity. And that means all the consequences including shame, the risks of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), pregnancy, disappointed parents and family, and their reputations.” –Dr. Linda (Book 2, Chapter 10)

"THE WAY MY BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND LOOKS AT ME MAKES ME FEEL NASTY. SHOULD I JUST IGNORE IT?”
No. You get funny feelings for a reason. Trust them—they can help keep you safe. If you feel weird when someone looks at you, talks to you, touches you, brushes up against you, or anything, your feelings count, and you need to protect yourself. Tell an adult you trust about your feelings right away. If the person you tell doesn’t respond to you in a way you like, tell someone else. Keep telling people until you believe you’ve been heard and someone is taking real steps to help you solve your problem with the person you feel funny about. See “Get Help & Emotional Support” further on in this chapter for tips and resources for getting help and staying safe. (Book 2, Chapter 12)

DOCTOR’S VISIT: “A girl phoned my office asking me to call an emergency contraception (EC)  prescription into the pharmacy for her. The problem was, I knew she’d already had one abortion as a result of having unprotected sex. I told her she had to come in to see me for a pregnancy test before I’d write her an emergency contraception prescription. Thankfully, she came in for the test—and she wasn’t pregnant. This second “scare” allowed us to begin a frank conversation about her real need for contraception.” –Dr. Linda (Book 2, Chapter 14)

WAITING ROOM: "I was sitting in the front seat of my boyfriend’s SUV. Neither one of us had on our seatbelts. I saw headlights coming toward us. I was a little high and so was my boyfriend. We were on the way home from a party. We’d smoked some herb and drank a little, too. I watched the lights coming toward us. I heard myself scream. My boyfriend, too.

“Next thing I knew, I was in a hospital room. I couldn’t feel my legs at all. I’ve never felt them again. Now I use a wheelchair to get around. At least I can get around. My boyfriend can’t. He died in the crash.” –Michelle, age 15 (Book 5, Chapter 34)

HOME    TOP    THE 7 BOOKS   QUESTIONS/ANSWERS   NEWS   SITE MAP   SEARCH   CONTACT 

©Copyright Linda Bradley, MD, and M. LaVora Perry. All Rights Reserved.