Thursday, April 28, 2005

Some Hollywood Execs Passed the Buck at TBIO Conference

Jennifer Hahn's feature story in today's Los Angeles City Beat describes what girls found themselves up against at the recent Turn Beauty Inside Out conference: a "deeply entrenched and conservative industry." Geena Davis, the tallest star at the conference, stood solidly behind the girls, but Hahn noted that while the Hollywood executives who attended seemed well-intentioned, they tended "to throw responsibility back at the girls." Not to worry, though--the New Moon girls won't back down.

Friday, April 22, 2005

Girls Weigh in on Antiboy Shirts

I invited the Beautiful Girls and their nominators to weigh in on the antiboy t-shirts that are popular right now. Here's some insight from 13-year-old Emily: "Yes, some guys are jerks, but so are some girls. The important thing is not to make sweeping generalizations about it. Rather than being nasty and deciding 'I don't like boys,' girls should be at least making an effort to connect with guys. [Antiboy t-shirts] tell girls that it's okay to be mean to someone they don't understand. It's the same as judging someone by their looks. It's a cop-out." What do you think? Feel free to post a comment.

In other news, Bryce, a 9-year-old honored as one of New Moon's "25 Beautiful Girls" this year, is featured in the Leavenworth Times today. "No matter how a person looks, if they act ugly or mean it makes them that way," Bryce says. "Looks aren't everything."

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Reports from Turn Beauty Inside Out conference

New Moon's first "25 Beautiful Girls" issue, published in 2000 as a response to People's "50 Most Beautiful People" issue, ignited a grassroots campaign called Turn Beauty Inside Out (TBIO). For information about last week's TBIO Girls Leadership Conference, check out a blog written by the girls who attended, and read Karen Stabiner's commentary in the Los Angeles Times about the girls' demands for better movies and TV. Parents who attended the conference with their daughters said the sessions were great conversation-starters!