Kelly Flanagan, Words From a Father to His Daughter (From the Makeup Aisle)
A licensed clinical psychologist, blogger, and writer, Dr. Kelly Flanagan received his PhD in clinical psychology from Pennsylvania State University and practices clinical psychology in Wheaton, Illinois. In the audio clip below, Flanagan reads an encouraging letter he wrote to his four-year-old daughter on inner beauty and body image.
Source: DrKellyFlanagan.com
<<insert E21e_Words From a Father to His Daughter (From the Makeup Aisle)-Audio.mp3>>
Courtesy of Dr. Kelly Flanagan
Questions for Study and Discussion
After listening to the audio clip, consider the questions below. Then submit your responses.
1. What is Flanagan’s thesis? At what point in his reading does he state this most clearly?
2. In his opening, Flanagan says that the makeup aisle in Target “felt like one of the most oppressive places in the world.” Why does he feel this way? Do you think most women feel oppressed in makeup aisles?
3. What is Flanagan’s purpose? What does he hope to accomplish with his letter?
4. Write down a list of all the words and phrases that Flanagan sees in the makeup aisle. Then, make your own list of five new words and phrases that Flanagan could have chosen instead. How would these new words and phrases have changed the letter?
5. Flanagan says his daughter must go through “this gauntlet of institutionalized shame.” What is Flanagan referring to here? Do you agree with this characterization? Why or why not?