There’s a lot to like in this book review of Cinderella Ate My Daughter (Peggy Orenstein) by Annie Murphy Hall in the New York Times. But the best part unquestionably is the answer to riddle of why little girls go through a pink phase. To many urban moms, especially, this is the first evidence of a taste gulf between mom and daughter, as little girls demand to be dressed up on anything that bears the tint of a well-worn piece of bubble gum.

Orenstein finds one such enlightening explanation in developmental psychology research showing that until as late as age 7, children are convinced that external signs — clothing, hairstyle, favorite color, choice of toys — determine one’s sex.