Jacqueline Wilson’s ‘Girls’ series and the message it gives out

[icecreamgirl94]

My 16 year old DSis has chosen to use this series of books for a project she’s doing about the messages sent out in books for teenagers and asked me (27) and DP (31) to read them. These are the main things that stand out to us.

• Nadine is possibly the stupidest girl alive. In the first book she dates a 17 year old who gives her drugs to try and loosen her up for sex. She ditches him but only because she hears that he’s been through loads of girls. In the second book she plans to go to a photography studio alone to have modelling photos taken. In the third book she meets some dodgy guys outside a gig venue and convinced her two friends to come with her and go off with them. They end up locked in a grotty flat with these guys taking drugs and they have to escape out the window. And in the last book she starts chatting to a guy online and goes up to London on her own to meet him where he turns out to be an old perv. She’s only 14, and all of these situations she gets into are just written off as her wild personality.

• In the third book Ellie gets a boyfriend. When they first meet he convinces her to come to the park even though she keeps telling him she’s late home and her parents will be worried. They kiss and he tries to go further but she tells him no. Once they’ve been together a few days he gets annoyed whenever she mentions her friends or wants to spend any time with them, he says he doesn’t know what she sees in them. Over time he continually pressures her to have sex with him, storms off when she tries to finish her conversation with her friends and doesn’t go straight over to him when he meets her from school, steals her original design idea for a competition then tells her she’s overreacting about it, storms off when he sees her talking to a male (gay) friend in the supermarket and basically insinuates that she’s cheating on him, tells her to dress up more for a party, forces her to kiss him when his friends are looking then growls at her not to pull away from him in front of them, and finally she catches him snogging one of her friends at the party so she ends it. She’s 13 btw. But the book ends with her forgiving him and them getting back together!

I’m really not someone who looks for things to be offended about in life generally, but AIBU to think it’s a bit of a dodgy message to send out to young girls that Nadine’s behaviour and Ellie’s relationship is normal? The books are told from Ellie’s point of view and she constantly talks about how wonderful her boyfriend is even though she doesn’t like a lot of what he does. The books are about 20 years old now I believe but DSis tells me most of her friends have read them.

I read these books as a child/young teenager and yes, the characters are stupid at times. But isn’t that the point? That young teenagers will get themselves into situations that are ‘out of their depth’ and behave stupidly?

I haven’t read those ones but I read one by Jacqueline Wilson a few years ago, I think it was Love Lessons, and it was about a girl with a crush on her male teacher. I thought it was going to end with the teacher gently letting her down and her being devastated but getting over it but no, the teacher reciprocated and they had an affair! I thought that was a very bad message to be giving to kids - pursue your teacher and he’ll love you back, with no real lesson of how inappropriate it was for a teacher to be behaving in that way!

I do really like lots of Jacqueline Wilson books but when I introduce my daughter to them when she’s older there are certain ones I won’t be encouraging her to read.

I used to love these books. I think it was more the point that girls do go through these sorts of things and fuck up and give in to peer pressure and as a reader you’re supposed to realise that and think, that’s not ok, I wonder what I’d do in that situation?

They are really obviously behaving dangerously/ making crap decisions. These are books aimed at young teens. The message is obvious but never explicitly stated because no teen on that road is going to take adult wisdom on this, but tell them a story that helps them make the decision for themselves, and mostly they can see it. Jacqueline Wilson is really good at tapping in to the young teen psyche.

I loathe all of her work.
Kids’ homes are nothing like Tracy fucking Beaker.
She knows nothing about life or what kids should be reading.

I haven’t read the books but from what you have written, these stories aren’t wildly different to the experiences of lots of young women. I feel there is victim blamey tone to what you are saying. Young women deal with all kind of bullshit from men which doesn’t make them ‘stupid’ as you suggest - means they are deeply affected by a toxic culture around both male and female sexes.

I grew up reading Secret Seven and it in no way equipped me for real life.

Books with tricky topics, even if we don't agree with the message can be helpful, especially if you're lucky enough to have good communication between you and your teen.

I don’t really get your points. None of these scenarios sound that crazy or far removed from situations many teenage girls will find themselves in.

Do you think these things don't happen to teenagers op? Or do you think the books are telling teenagers these are good things to do?

@icecreamgirl94

My 16 year old DSis has chosen to use this series of books for a project she’s doing about the messages sent out in books for teenagers and asked me (27) and DP (31) to read them. These are the main things that stand out to us.

• Nadine is possibly the stupidest girl alive. In the first book she dates a 17 year old who gives her drugs to try and loosen her up for sex. She ditches him but only because she hears that he’s been through loads of girls. In the second book she plans to go to a photography studio alone to have modelling photos taken. In the third book she meets some dodgy guys outside a gig venue and convinced her two friends to come with her and go off with them. They end up locked in a grotty flat with these guys taking drugs and they have to escape out the window. And in the last book she starts chatting to a guy online and goes up to London on her own to meet him where he turns out to be an old perv. She’s only 14, and all of these situations she gets into are just written off as her wild personality.

• In the third book Ellie gets a boyfriend. When they first meet he convinces her to come to the park even though she keeps telling him she’s late home and her parents will be worried. They kiss and he tries to go further but she tells him no. Once they’ve been together a few days he gets annoyed whenever she mentions her friends or wants to spend any time with them, he says he doesn’t know what she sees in them. Over time he continually pressures her to have sex with him, storms off when she tries to finish her conversation with her friends and doesn’t go straight over to him when he meets her from school, steals her original design idea for a competition then tells her she’s overreacting about it, storms off when he sees her talking to a male (gay) friend in the supermarket and basically insinuates that she’s cheating on him, tells her to dress up more for a party, forces her to kiss him when his friends are looking then growls at her not to pull away from him in front of them, and finally she catches him snogging one of her friends at the party so she ends it. She’s 13 btw. But the book ends with her forgiving him and them getting back together!

I’m really not someone who looks for things to be offended about in life generally, but AIBU to think it’s a bit of a dodgy message to send out to young girls that Nadine’s behaviour and Ellie’s relationship is normal? The books are told from Ellie’s point of view and she constantly talks about how wonderful her boyfriend is even though she doesn’t like a lot of what he does. The books are about 20 years old now I believe but DSis tells me most of her friends have read them.

I actually think it's a good message, it's teaching kids of the dangers they could get in

@ODFOx

They are really obviously behaving dangerously/ making crap decisions. These are books aimed at young teens. The message is obvious but never explicitly stated because no teen on that road is going to take adult wisdom on this, but tell them a story that helps them make the decision for themselves, and mostly they can see it. Jacqueline Wilson is really good at tapping in to the young teen psyche.

I agree with this, and that's part of the reason her books are so good imo.

I think you’ve missed the point actually OP.

What are the books called - someone has given DD some of her books - want to check.

Wow I never thought of it from the point of view of wanting the teenage readers to recognise it as wrong for themselves which is why it’s never specifically stated. That’s actually such a good point and I can’t believe I didn’t even look at it from that angle even though it’s exactly what my DSis has done!
Definitely not victim blaming I think actually most teenage girls would agree that it’s basic common sense to not go and meet a man you’ve spoken to online who claims to be a teenager but hasn’t provided any photos and has suggested you meet somewhere miles from where you live and where no one knows you. That’s a world away from walking alone at night for example which everyone should absolutely be able to do without fear.

@jakeyboy1 they’re called Girls in Love/Girls Out Late/Girls Under Pressure and I think the last one is Girls in Tears? I haven’t read that one though

I loved these books as a child/teenager. I haven’t read them since but my memory is that they’re supposed to be dysfunctional and I didn’t get the message that they were people to copy and admire. I remember there were quite good moments of vulnerability and normal teenage angst stuff that I could relate to.

I also think that when the books were written (almost 25 years ago) people were much more naive about things like meeting strangers from the Internet. Chat rooms, MSN messenger etc were fairly new and I'd imagine a lot of parents just didn't know/ think about the dangers.

Don’t get me started on Love Lessons. I think Jacqueline Wilson should be so ashamed of that book. Not because of the story or the plot but for the fact she had her main character be blamed by the teachers and headteacher for the affair without including guidance at the back of the book to explain to teenagers how irresponsibly the headteacher behaved and what actually should have happened in that scenario. How many teenagers abused or taken advantage of by an adult didn’t tell anyone because that book gave them the message that they won’t be believed, or, worse, they’d actually be blamed and punished. JW is happy to make money off writing stories about vulnerable children and teenagers without actually thinking about the real children and teenagers who may read and be influenced by her books.

You’ve missed out Magda! She’s 14 yet lives in a wonderbra, designer mini skirts and high heels. She goes on a date with an older boy called Mick who tries to get her to have sex with him outside after a curry date if i recall correctly! She then becomes infatuated with a teacher and follows him home (or something) before declaring her love for him. Luckily he rebuffs her in a nice way! She’s definitely the most street smart of the three, but seems to constantly act in a hyper sexualised manner. In the last book she is the friend who Ellie’s boyfriend cheats on her with at the party, when Ellie went to throw up and lie down after drinking too much vodka while she is still 13

It didn’t feel weird at the time but now I’ve written it out it’s like wtf did we used to read????

@yerawizardharry ta!

Ohh I read these books as a teen, they were amazing for me. I really got perspective on the situations I could get myself into if I was dumb, there was no way I wanted to be like those characters. And ugh! I would never want a boyfriend like that!

I’m 23 now and I never once felt like they were encouraging that behaviour, I just knew I never wanted to be in those situations.

I read these years ago but forgot the girls are 13/14 think the storylines and situations would work better with slightly older characters imo, a lot of the issues would be more relevant to 17 year old girls than 13 year olds.

I remember the Girls Under Pressure one vividly, as I read it while a close friend of mine of similar age was struggling with severe anorexia. It really helped me understand some of her thought processes and I had a lot more empathy for her after reading it.

I think a lot of the situations in the series are very OTT but like a PP said, the author really gets into a teen's psyche and the issues of low self-esteem which underpin all the plots are tackled with some really vivid and believable insight.

I also think if the author had made the characters ~17 then I would never, at 12/13, have related to them as well as I did. I would have seen them as intimidating older girls and assumed it was only something that happened many years down the line!

Seriously? None of you had boyfriends or drank/smoked at 13 or 14? Not condoning it obviously, but I went to grammar school in a ‘nice’ area and these behaviours were very prevalent!