Odd Girl Out Book Report

Growing up I kind of kept to myself and had the same group of friends my whole life. I stayed out of trouble and out of others business, I was quiet, and friendly when approached. I was fortunate enough to not have to deal with the mean things girls did. I knew they were out there, but stayed away. I didn’t begin to realize them more in high school when I began coaching a youth program. For girls in America, social life is a very important facet and that includes being well-liked, accepted, and not showing aggression. When thinking of a school bully, you think of someone that is tough and mean, but Rachel Simmons in the book Odd Girl Out, shows us another type of bullying in girls.
Rachel Simmons has researched the bullying of girls at junior high schools and high schools across the region. Simmons dedicates majority of the book to sharing interviews and hearing the girl’s voices on both ends. She shares the girl’s stories and perceptions on their experiences in order to show patterns of the aggression and that the pressure of society drives girls to use this form of bullying. Along with sharing interviews and experiences Rachel Simmons gives tips and strategies on how to deal with …show more content…
Which is bullying with covert techniques, this covert aggression is very sneaky and makes it look like you’ll never mistreat anyone, instead of physical aggression. Simmons implies that relational aggression is common in girls because relationships play an important role in girls' lives. Our society has made social status such an importance and Simmons believes that girls depend upon relationships. She states, "the lifeblood of relational aggression is relationship" (Simmons, 2002, p. 43). Many young girls understand the importance of social peers, and when they feel that they need to increase their own status within a group, they use that to their advantage and try to damage the relationships of their