an interest in them, and an unconscious sensuality that made adults
comment, “Wait until she grows up—she’ll be a heartbreaker.” She
enjoys being the center of attention, likes wearing pretty clothes and
being fussed over. She’s usually not a shy child, and may have even
been called “a little ham” for her impromptu performances and
other attention-getting efforts, which charmed her audiences even
then.
By eight or nine years old, many Aphrodite girls are in a hurry to
grow up, dress up, and wear makeup. They have crushes on boys,
are “teeny-bopper” fans of sexy male singers or rock groups. Some
young Aphrodites are “nymphets”: precociously aware of their
sexuality, they enjoy the sense of power and attraction they have
when older men respond to their teasing flirtatiousness.
PARENTS
Some parents groom their pretty daughters to be little Aphrodites.
They emphasize their daughters’ attractiveness, make them kiss the
grownups, enter them in child beauty contests, and in general, focus
on their feminine attractiveness over all other attributes and abilities.
But when the girl reaches puberty and the possibility of sexual
activity, her parents may respond very differently. A common de-
structive pattern may arise: the parents give her covert encourage-
ment to become sexually active, but then punish her. This situation
allows parents to be both voyeurs and upholders of morals.
Fathers may react to the emerging sexuality of their Aphrodite
daughters in a variety of ways. Many fathers respond to their
daughters’ growing attractiveness by inadvertently and/ or uncon-
sciously provoking noisy conflicts that create emotional and physical
distance between the two. The daughters often seem to collaborate
in the uproar, which protects both parties against becoming aware
of their incestuous feelings. Some fathers become overly strict and
refuse to let daughters date at all, or they become intrusive and
controlling, “cross-examining” daughters about their dates and
giving any male callers “the third degree.” And yet other fathers are
seductive.
Mothers have a range of reactions to Aphrodite daugh-
Goddesses in Everywoman