FARMVILLE The wedding season begins with the warming weather, and advertisers and marketers are getting warmed up.

The Condé Nast Bridal Group reports that the average American wedding cost is nearing $30,000 -- music to the ears of marketers and advertisers who earn their livings associating celebratory occasions (weddings, Christmas, Mother's Day, etc.) with purchase.

The New York Times, for example, recently reported brides feel intense pressure to "look hot" on their wedding day: a look achieved through purchase of designer gowns, extreme diet programs, and cosmetic and hair makeovers.

One marketing conglomerate, however, has found a shrewd new way to start much earlier, reaching young girls with the message that they can earn the admiration of their crushes if they buy the right things. And the message is explicit, teaching girls they can find love by attracting boys sexually with specified brands of clothing, perfume, and cosmetics.

The worst part is that these messages are found in schools, public libraries, and girls' bookshelves without the knowledge of readers, parents, or librarians.

IF YOU ARE the parent of a girl between the ages of 9 and 18, you probably are familiar with the bestselling teen romance series Gossip Girl, A-List, and Clique. All three series, with two to three new novels cranked out a year, are perennial best-sellers that have sold millions of copies in the United States alone. The book covers bear the names of their authors, often ghost writers composing under a pseudonym, but not the name of the marketing conglomerate that develops the storylines, Alloy Media + Marketing. Although much more subtle now, Alloy's Web site (www.alloymarketing.com) previously proclaimed "advertisers have the opportunity to get their products or services cast in these best-selling books."

Readers of these series encounter a barrage of product names, which heroines use in their quest for love. For instance, the Clique series, which is created for 9to 12-year-old girls, featured a seventh-grade heroine contemplating an important shoe choice to gain the attention of her crush, Chris: "Jimmy Choo high-heel mules, Miu Miu wedgies, Calvin flats, Jimmy Choo sandals, DKNY stiletto boots, or the Marc Jacobs pumps? Jimmy Choo high-heel mules, of course. It was important for Chris to see her in something sexy instead of the sporty outfits she always wore [horseback] riding" (The Clique, p. 201).

Similarly, in the Gossip Girl series, created for teen girls and now a popular CW network television drama, ninth-grader Jenny believed she would improve her look as a "dangerous, slutty sex goddess" if she added a "pair of kitten heels, a thong, and some Chanel Vamp" lip gloss to complement her black dress (Gossip Girl, p. 151).

Passages like these are not rare. In researching the three series, I found hundreds of brand names, which were referenced just over once per page on average. Furthermore, the brand names were woven into the narrative in systematic ways. Heroines who used particular brands were more popular among female friends and more attractive to boys.

MANY PARENTS and librarians may react to this news by simply removing the books or forbidding girls to read them. I understand this reaction, but it will not "protect" our girls or help them grow to healthy adults. Rather, it will give the novels "forbidden" status, making them more exciting to young girls.

We must remember that these novels are one of many sources telling girls that their appearance and sexuality are sources of personal worth and romantic attractiveness, and that these are improved by buying certain products.

Girls hear this message repeatedly in conversations with their friends, in movies, in television, in glossy magazines, and in music. We live in a society awash with brand names, and the idea that they will proclaim our identities and improve our lives.

Girls today, however, can learn to be more media savvy and to critique these messages. Alloy's best-selling books offer a unique opportunity for parents and educators to read along with their daughters and students. Rather than ignoring teen romance novels as silly and undeserving of attention, adults can work with girls to critique the values and actions of characters. If we acknowledge and challenge these messages, we can raise a generation of girls who are less likely to feel that their social and romantic worthiness relies upon buying the right pair of shoes, cosmetics, or a "hot" wedding dress.
Naomi Johnson is a communications studies professor at Longwood University. Contact her at (434) 395-2230 or johnsonnr@longwood.edu.