Rachel Simmons

Rachel Simmons is the director of the Phoebe Reese Lewis leadership program at Smith College and the author of Enough As She Is: How to Help Girls Move Beyond Impossible Standards of Success to Live Happy, Healthy & Fulfilling Lives.

Recent Articles

We Tell Our Kids That Hard Work Always Pays Off. What Happens When They Fail Anyway?

A star athlete at the college where I work recently stopped by my office. After committing a few unforced errors during a weekend match, she was — several days later — riven by self-criticism and...

By Rachel Simmons

How to Raise a Daughter in the Trump Era

Watching Donald Trump’s inauguration on television, an 8-year-old girl asked her mother about the new President.“Why doesn’t he like us?”Us, meaning women. It’s a question many parents weren’t prepared to answer last fall, when the...

By Rachel Simmons

How Social Media Is a Toxic Mirror

Instagram and Snapchat are affecting teens' body image

By Rachel Simmons

Why More Teen Girls Are Getting Genital Plastic Surgery

Porn is the likely culprit in the alarming increase in surgeries

By Rachel Simmons

3 Friends, 1 Odd Girl Out: Cracking the Girl Threesome

How to help your middle-school daughters be kind

By Rachel Simmons

Girl Friendship Drama: When It's Time to Stop Perseverating and Let It Go

Tweens and teens have high expectations of themselves and their relationships, but sometimes it's better to give up than push for perfection

By Rachel Simmons

Parenting While Heartbroken: The Do's and Don'ts

After a breakup or divorce, parents have to decide how much to share with their children

By Rachel Simmons

How Parents Make Things Worse For Struggling College Students

When a teen is having trouble, talking more about the issue isn't always the solution

By Rachel Simmons

Why Failure Hits Girls So Hard

Failing well is a skill

By Rachel Simmons

Not Without My Smartphone: The Case for Somewhat Distracted Parenting

Here's why being on your phone doesn't make you a bad parent

By Rachel Simmons

Debunking the Myths of the Perfect BFF

There's no such thing as a perfect friendship. It’s time to teach girls the truth about the complexities of BFFs.

By Rachel Simmons

How Instagram Became Home to Today's Mean Girls

Girls have quietly repurposed the photo-sharing app into a barometer for popularity, friendship status and self-worth. Here's how they're using it.

By Rachel Simmons

There's Nothing Wrong with the Mommy Track

Our culture sings in only two keys about how successful women manage motherhood and work: either you’re driving a hard line to the C-suite, parking the crib in your corner office, or you’re shredding the Mommy track. What about a third way?

By Rachel Simmons

The College Transition: How to Parent When Your Child Leaves Home

There has never been a more emotionally challenging time to be a college student in the United States, especially for freshmen.

By Rachel Simmons
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