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Unladylike Behavior

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 16, 2007

On Halloween, they became the Pink Power Ranger, the one with the little skirt and the mighty right cross.

Powerpuff Girls, cartoon tykes with Mary Jane shoes and bad attitudes, adorned their Underoos.

Now teenagers, they watch the beautiful, wealthy girls on MTV reality shows "The Hills" and "Laguna Beach," chuckling at their frequent catfights.

In a recent spate of popular books, teenage girls are described as narcissistic, catty, contentious and just plain mean. Newsweek, MSNBC and other major media report their level of violence has exploded, creating a generation to be feared.

Some blame the feminist movement, citing equal access to sports as leading to increased female aggression. Others speculate that violent video games and butt-kicking role models overshot the goals of empowerment and assertiveness.

Some even worry the next finger on the trigger at a mass shooting could be a manicured one.

The issue of girls and violence is complicated. But what's really going on might come as a surprise.

Donna Koehn
DETAILS, This Section, Page 6

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