Jean Kilbourne will buy Seventeen magazine for her thirteen-year-old daughter on one condition. After she's read it, she has to critique it for her mother. "She's savvier than most of her peers but she loves to shop. That's OK, but I want her to understand that buying lots of stuff will not make her happy in life. Teens need to understand that they're for sale. They have increasing amounts of money to spend. Companies will do whatever it takes to convince them that their products are what they need to be happy, popular, and pretty."

For over twenty years, Kilbourne has been writing, lecturing, and making films about how advertising affects women and girls. Her first award-winning film Killing Us Softly: Advertising's Image of Women still has a great impact on audiences. This month, a new paperback edition of her book, Can't Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think hits the shelves.

Kilbourne helps girls and women understand how marketers play to our worst fears and secret wishes to get us to buy their products: things as obviously bad as cigarettes and alcohol, as well as seemingly harmless stuff like hair spray and lipstick. Even more important, says Kilbourne, is the general messages of those ads, which will affect how you feel about yourself even if you don't buy the products.

"Most ads tell girls they must fit a certain mold to be successful. You must be passive, thin, attractive, and sexy -- and own the latest stuff -- to be happy. It's too narrow and it does enormous harm to girls who are trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be."

You may think that ads are harmless and silly, and that you know what they're trying to get you to think or do. We picked seven ads from this summer's teen magazines and sent them to Jean Kilbourne for her interpretation. Take our quiz to see why each of these ads is harmful to girls.

Can YOU figure out why these ads are dangerous?

1. Well, they just want you to drink milk, right? So, what’s dangerous about that?	2. It is kind of gross, but they're just selling candy. So, what’s dangerous about that?
3. I bet you wish you could have leather shorts like that. It's just clothes though, why is that dangerous?	4. It says that she's pulling her own strings, doesn't it? Why is that dangerous?
5. Well, I am sometimes envious of the cheerleaders who always look great. But I don't hate them...well, only sometimes. Why is that dangerous?	6. It's kind of a weird picture, but it's just about shaving cream, right? Why is that dangerous?
7. This ad seems OK, like you can eat candy just like the guys. Isn't that encouraging equality? Why is that dangerous?

Did any of the Why it’s dangerous reasons surprise you? Kilbourne says one of the most powerful defenses we have against advertising is our own savvy. Next time you see an ad, try to read between the lines and beat them at their own game. You'll be a stronger, smarter, and healthier person for it.

For more info on women in the Media, check out Girl Zone’s FEMedia.

In addition to Jean Kilbourne's new book, Can't Buy My Love

here are some other books that can help you think positively about who you are and who you want to be:

Girls Who Rocked the World 2 by Michelle Roehm from Beyond Words Publishing: inspiring stories about real girls who made their mark on the world before the age of 20!

Highs! Over 150 Ways to Feel REALLY Good...Without Alcohol or Other Drugs by Alex. J. Packer, Ph.D. from Free Spirit Publishing

Cool Women: The Thinking Girls Guide to the Hippest Women in History edited by Pam Nelson from Girl Press

Your Body: The Girls' Guide by Dr. Janis Brody from St. Martin's Press: a self-help book that focuses on the issue of body image.