Inspiration for my sad teen? Eclectic is good.

[queenbrunhilda]

My lovely daughter (13) has had a tough time since going to high school (persistent but usually low-level nastiness/excluding behaviour by some of her peers). The school is being helpful and supportive but she is at a low ebb.

Have been thinking about resources that might help. Books, films, poetry phrases, anything really that might give her a helpful way of thinking about the situation and reinforce her own sense of identity and strength.

Doesn't have to be heavy or serious - she likes playing with the idea of channeling strong women and is a great mimic- so suggestions along the lines of 'what would so and so do?' would be great too!

Taylor Swift's Mean.

Taylor Swift's Mean.

Taylor Swift's Mean.

If you haven't already - you might want to check out the A Mighty Girl page on facebook which has loads of helpful resources on issues facing young girls and women (including bullying, self esteem etc). I highly recommend to the parents of any DD.

apologies for the multipost- not sure what happened there

Films, Mean Girls, Pretty in Pink, Heathers?

tell her to walk like a stormtrooper, as if she is very tall and very wide, wearing armour, carrying an invisible sword.

Both my daughters said this helped them at very difficult times at very difficult secondary schools. I made it up off the top of my head - not borne of any wisdom - I had a terrible time at that age!

A lot of the other suggestions have worked in our house, too, especially Buffy, Easy A, feminists and feminism (especially intersectional feminism). Black women writers are the most inspiring on exclusion. Mean Girls is a good film to watch, too, the Miyazaki animated films and the series 'My So Called life'.

Wow! Wonderful mix of suggestions everyone. Very much appreciated: thank you.

You might have to get this second hand - a teenage novel called 'Dicey's song' about a teenage girl who is 'different', isolated at school but also strong and makes friends on her own terms. It's a part of a series and one of them won the Newberry medal when it was first published.

Sorry it's by Cynthia Voight

My DD (16) suggested an online magazine called Rookie, she says it has articles relevant to getting through high school etc. I haven't seen it though so you might want to check that it's appropriate for a 13 year old, just in case.

My DD also likes performance poems which can be found on youtube.

I would recommend exercise if your dd doesn't exercise. Exercising reales endorphins which improve mood. Not sure about other ways to improve mood Sorry.

The TV show Suburgatory is quite funny about a cool Manhattan girl who is moved to a cliquey upstate NY town with her single dad.