The two most important articles in this issue are on anxiety and the importance of sleep. Anxiety appears to be a plague on our girls right now. ‘Feeling anxious? How to deal when your worries take over your life’ looks at the symptoms of anxiety and how to recognise when it is impacting on your […]
We need more men like this For the past few weeks I’ve been addressing female and male students around the country on the issue of the representation of women and girls in media and popular culture. I’ve been urging the boys to reject cultural messaging that socialises them into a calloused and brutalised version of […]
‘Once a self is ceded it’s hard to get back’ Gosh this is good. It appeared on Huffington Post last month but I’ve only just read it. It is the kind of piece which needs to be read slowly, and a few times, it contains so much to absorb. Here’s an extract: The problem is […]
Girlfriend February Review Many girls and young women look to girl’s magazines for advice on life, relationships, bodies, health and sexuality. But too often they receive conflicting advice and mixed messages and even, sometimes, outright contradiction. Take for example, information provided in the sealed section of Girlfriend this month, where, within four pages of each […]
Girl Mag Watch As always, I’m confused about teen girls’ magazines approach to airbrushing and photo-shop (see here for a past example of my confusion). This issue contains an explanation of the ‘Retouch Free Zone’. “DOLLY is all about healthy body image – that’s why we only feature photos of girls that haven’t been altered […]
‘It’s a Girl’, a disturbing but awareness-raising film, screened in Sydney last night. I was asked to say a few words. Here they are. It’s a girl. I’ve heard those words three times in my life. Unlike the women we will hear about tonight, those words brought joy. It’s a girl. Three times for me […]
SPECIAL SCREENING November 12: “It’s a Girl” The United Nations estimates as many as 200 million girls are missing in the world today because of “gendercide”. Girls are killed, aborted and abandoned simply because they are girls. The film tells the stories of abandoned and trafficked girls, of women who suffer extreme dowry-related violence, of […]
An interview with author Maggie Hamilton I have had the privilege of knowing and working with author, publisher and educator Maggie Hamilton for the past few years. As well as her own books including What’s Happening to Our Girls? (Viking, Penguin 2008) and What’s Happening to Our Boys? (2010), Maggie is a contributor to my […]
‘A safe haven from the commercialisation and sexualisation of girlhood, a place full of gifts that inspire and enable girls to reach for the stars. A venue that will motivate and support artists, independent producers and businesses to innovate and to explore new products that have the potential to change the world’ One of the […]
And here’s an advertorial on the importance of beauty regimes – for children ‘If you’re on a budget make brows the priority as this really makes a big difference. It’s worth it and it’s worth seeing a professional. Do facials if you can afford it…’ Read entire article here.
Keep the global brand of the porn industry off our girls – boycott Diva Playboy has been very clever with its marketing, establishing its brand on doona covers, pencil cases, wallets, keyrings, stationery, make-up, youth clothing ranges and even embedded into children’s movies such as Hop. I’ve written about this before. Now DIVA is the […]
Zazzle profiting from body hatred As if there’s not already enough girls whose lives are being destroyed through eating disorders, the on-line UK seller Zazzle.co is doing its bit to make even more girls sicker and to spread further suffering. This t.shirt (left) is inspired by a motto uttered by model Kate Moss “Nothing tastes […]
