A guidebook to human biology and puberty for boys was recently pulped by its publisher for uproar over a page that indicated that women have breasts in part to “make the girl look grown-up and attractive.”
Growing Up For Boys is written by Alex Frith and is some sort of guidebook to the hairy, smelly and hormonal world of the male body—for boys, by boys who want to know what to do about their relentless, unrepentant boners. According to The Guardian, the book is supposed to offer “advice on what to expect from puberty” to legions of young men curious about why they all of a sudden smell bad and are irrepressibly horny.
The page in question was noticed by blogger Simon Ragoonanan, who writes Man vs. Pink, a blog about “the fun and games of a geek father, his fangirl daughter, and their ongoing struggle against pinkification.”
After much outcry, Usborne, the publisher of the offensive tome, decided to yank whatever stock they have in their warehouse and pulp it. “This particular chapter aimed to explain and demystify to boys what girls go through at puberty, and to promote mutual respect and understanding,” they said in a statement. “Again we are very sorry indeed for any offence this has caused.”
