Francine Pascal’s teen book series Sweet Valley High, first published in 1983, is getting a tummy tuck and heading back to a book store near you. Twelve books from the original series are being reissued—with some tweaks for a new audience.
The most alarming tweak? Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, described in 1983 as a “perfect size 6” will now be a “perfect size 4.” Wow, thank god Random House had the presence of mind to take care of those cows. No teenage girl in her right mind would be comfortable reading about a size 6.
It’s 2008. There is a constant balancing act going on in women’s magazines, television shows, and movies to encourage women to be healthy. Healthy in the sense that they’re not obsessed with losing weight but also don’t contribute to this country’s obesity problems. Cutting the size reference altogether would have been what I expected from the reissue, not making the twins tinier.
From the press release it’s clear that Random House is scrambling to make Sweet Valley a little more appealing to the Gossip Girl set, not simply bring the old books into the 21st century. I feel a rant coming on, so allow me to close with this delightful reassurance from the publishers:
Although some of the content has been updated, the stories stay true to Francine Pascal’s original plot lines that older fans will remember from the originals. These timeless stories about high school, friendship, sibling rivalry, love and family are ready for a whole new generation to enjoy.
3 comments:
I probably still have those books in my attic. Scary, huh? It's pretty ridiculous they are trimming down the girls waistlines, which they should get rid of all together. Crazy people.
Oh my gosh. That makes me sick.
If the focus is indeed "timeless stories about high school, friendship, sibling rivalry, love and family" (blah, blah, blah), why pay any attention to something as trivial, by comparison, as appearance.
As an admitted book junkie i can honestly say i've never read any SVH. Still that's a sneaky size change I bet they didn't think anyone would catch. Guess the unperfect sizes (5 and up) just don't cut it in that fictional school by today's standard.
Post a Comment