NOTE: This page is a shameless plug for my book, “Expressionista: How to Express Your True Self Through (and Despite) Fashion.”

Good-by Fashionista, Hello Expressionista: My partner Jackie Walker and I are on a mission to help young girls ditch their fashion doubts, love what they wear and accept who they are.

Our new book, “Expressionista: How to Express Your True Self Through (and Despite) Fashion” (Simon & Schuster), incorporates self-help techniques into the ever-present dilemma of fashion, giving girls the inspiration to embrace their style and express their authenticity.

Scattered throughout the 200 pages are fun quizzes, insider tips, case histories and journaling prompts. Girls ages 8-12 learn to how to identify their unique Fashion Personas, build confidence in their fashion choices, shop on a budget, organize their closets and ward off fashion bullies.

Why this book and this audience? A decade ago Jackie, a motivation speaker on the subject of esteem dressing, wrote a similar book for adult women, “I Don’t Have a Thing to Wear: The Psychology of Your Closet (Simon & Schuster). As she toured the country promoting that book, she saw many moms were buying a second copy because their daughters kept the first one for themselves!

She also learned that women’s fashion insecurities almost always stem from childhood! We all have stories of classmates or family members who criticized something about our appearance, and those criticisms sting for a lifetime.

Jackie and I met up, and we decided to tailor the message of personal expression through clothing to young girls, before those barbs and criticisms and doubts can take hold. Hence, the “Expressionista” book.

Fashionistas dress to impress other people and make themselves noticed in a crowd. Expressionistas know their true inner selves, and they use clothing to tell the world who they are. Our goal is for every girl and woman to become an Expressionista.

How to order: Your local bookstore or any online purveyor. Here is a link to the Expressionista page on Amazon.com.