Teen girl’s survival guide emphasizes virtue over vogue

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—Messages from popular teen magazines invade the minds of young girls each day. Promoting promiscuity, materialism and ungodly behavior, these messages saturate the pages of hundreds of teen tabloids. But Broadman & Holman’s best-selling author Vicki Courtney offers a Christ-centered alternative, TeenVirtue, that details how to navigate life’s most difficult issues.

“Being a girl in today’s culture is hard,” Courtney wrote in the introduction of the publication termed as a “maga-book” for its magazine-like presentation. “Everywhere you turn, messages are telling you to be thin, pretty, sexy, assertive, self-confident and do what ever it takes to make guys drool.”

Courtney said she noticed a decline of values and modesty starting with the Sexual Revolution of the late 1960s and early 1970s. “Over the years, the lines of morality have been blurred and what was once considered unacceptable, is now considered personal choice,” said Courtney in a recent interview. “Our girls have been bombarded by the ‘girl power’ movement. There are no rules when it comes to dress, and sex outside of marriage is considered the norm.”

Courtney said the “Britney era” that followed certainly didn’t help. “Britney [Spears] and other pop divas made bare midriffs the norm and the styles offered in department stores reflected the times,” she said. “Before long, many of our church girls joined in, thus conforming to the culture.”

Statistics confirm the fallout of America’s promiscuous culture, Courtney said. Citing that nearly 40 percent of all teen girls will become pregnant at least once before the age of 20, and 33 percent of all babies born today are born to unwed mothers, Courtney said it’s time for change. In addition, she cited that one in four sexually active teens has a sexually transmitted disease.

Pointing to Scripture to help remedy the problem of promiscuity, Courtney quoted Jeremiah 6:16: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

“Girls today are lacking rest in their souls and longing for new direction,” she said. “We know the ‘good way’ and we must be committed to showing them. We can no longer remain silent.”

And Courtney is not silent about many of the contemporary issues plaguing young girls in her new release, TeenVirtue. The glossy maga-book addresses the top 40 issues young girls face today like learning how to dress modestly, combating eating disorders, standing up to peer pressure and living a pure life. The magazine layout includes short, easy-to-read articles and teen quizzes that all point to biblical answers.

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Being a girl in today's culture is hard. Everywhere you turn, messages are telling you to be thin, pretty, sexy, assertive, self-confident and do what ever it takes to make guys drool.

- Vicki Courtney

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“But unlike the average fashion magazine ... this guide emphasizes virtue over vogue,” Courtney wrote.

Guiding girls to Scripture and lessons from the Bible, Courtney says TeenVirtue was written to be a survival guide for girls.

“Believe it or not, God cares about girl politics, boy problems, breakups, embarrassing moms, roller-coaster emotions, broken hearts, and much more,” Courtney writes. “He never intended for you to go at it alone in the world.”

Each chapter talks about issues important to teens, like beauty tips and dating.

“You’ve probably heard your mom say that ‘beauty comes from the inside’ and thought ‘yeah, right mom, tell the guys that,’” Courtney wrote. “Well, believe it or not, your mom is right.”

Courtney explains that showing compassion, having a servant’s heart, and living out one’s faith in Christ display true beauty.

“A girl who loves Jesus more than life can’t help but shine from the inside out,” Courtney wrote. “She will brighten every room she enters, and her glow for Christ will be contagious.”

Offering advice about guys, Courtney discusses four types of dating to avoid: dating for fun, dating by emotion, joined-at-the-hip dating, and “mission field” dating.

“When it comes to dating, girls should go before God in prayer well in advance of the ‘going out’ stage and ask Him for wisdom needed to come up with a set of standards for dating,” Courtney wrote. “If you don’t have a standard, you will most likely embrace the world’s standard when it comes to dating.”

Suggesting a get-away weekend for moms and their daughters to have time to discuss serious matters, Courtney said talks might include topics TeenVirtue articles address, such as ‘The Big 5 Lies About Sex,’ ‘Caution: Loser Alert,’ ‘Dressed to Lure or be Pure?’ and ‘Top 10 Rules to Staying Inline when You’re Online.’”

Even if you don’t use it on a get-away weekend, moms can read about a particular topic and become acquainted with the situations their daughters are currently facing or could be facing in the future, she added.

“It is my prayer that TeenVirtue will expose our girls to God’s perspective on the top issues they are facing and lead them to make choices that are pleasing to God,” she said. “It’s time for a new and better women’s movement!”

A former agnostic and feminist, Courtney received Christ in college. Now she commits her life to Virtuous Reality Ministries, an online magazine for middle school, high school girls, college women and adult women. She is the author of several books including Your Girl: Raising a Godly Daughter in an Ungodly World, Yada Yada: A Devotional Journal for Moms, More than Just Talk: A Journal for Girls, and The Virtuous Woman: Shattering the Superwomen Myth.

Courtney resides in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three children.

TeenVirtue is available at LifeWay Christian Bookstores.