Casting Call!

Are you a girl inventor or entrepreneur?

By Kids for Kids (BKFK) is looking for kids aged 8-16 with a great idea or business that has already achieved some success to appear in the new television series, THINK BIG!   By Kids for Kids is a company with the mission to inspire, motivate, and stimulate the innovative spirit within all young people.  The television show will provide a platform for kid inventors and entrepreneurs to showcase their products, letting the world know that kids have great ideas too.  Kids can plan, design and manufacture great ideas into products and services everyone can use.  Want to submit your idea? Visit their website at www.bkfk.com/thinkbig.

 

In fact, you may want to swing by their main website, powered by the new Idea Locker, too.  The company has four other contests running right now, one for designers, one for artists/writers, one for those interested in the environment, and one for sports enthusiasts.

What a fun way to explore your interests and find support for them!

Go, girls!

Sending you creative passion, Elizabeth (Bissy!)

The Good Wife's Guide

This article appeared in Housekeeping Monthly in May of 1955. Or did it? There's a controversy out on the Internet where this article is fast circulating about its validity. Was it possibly written in more current times, to poke fun at the 1950s mentality? Or was it really written at the time?

Either way, people love talking about it! How could it not raise questions like, well, first: What?!

And then, since these media messages were out there at the time in some form: Did people really take these suggestions seriously? What were the relationships like day-to-day? What's the "role of a wife" considered to be today, or is there one?

One online response that I appreciated was one woman's Good Husband's Guide. What a way to get a point across while having fun!

Most of all, I think the article is also a good opportunity to ask, Who are women--and girls--to themselves first? After all, self-hood is the foundation of any relationship.

Well, readers, what do you think about this article?

Evidence of modern-day empowered women in relationships could be a great prompt for a submission to Howling at the Moon (Email them to blog@newmoon.org.).

Here's are a link about the controversy:

http://www.snopes.com/language/document/goodwife.asp

May your day bring joy, Bissy (Elizabeth!)

Generation Nature

For me, the call came from within. It said (in the voice of my neck, which is quite insistent and reasonable), "I need some time off here." I was standing in the hallway of my college apartment. I knew the call meant what it said. My mother's kindness and eye for the truth echoed it. She repeatedly insisted, "Are you sure you don't need time off from school?" I had had a neck injury in ninth grade, you see, that was still hurting, in fact worsening, even as I pared down my life, everything revolving around being in as little pain as possible, which was still a lot. So I plunged into college leave, my absolute commitment becoming my health and well-being. It was very hard to step away from the main track--very, very hard. What followed in my life, though, was a miracle of self-discovery and insight into the world. And that is how I would like to introduce the recent media exchange between Thomas Friedman and Courtney Martin.

On October 10, The New York Times published an Op-Ed by Thomas L. Friedman in which he describes his impression of today's generation of twenty-somethings, commonly called "Generation Y," of which I am a part. "Generation Q" he calls us, for quiet: "quietly pursuing their idealism, at home and abroad. But Generation Q may be too quiet, too online, for its own good, and for the country's own good." He seeks a generation to light a fire under the country with action the way the youth of his day did.

Courtney E. Martin, a member of the addressed generation, had something to say to this. In her October 22 article "Generation Overwhelmed" in The American Prospect online, she describes our generation of twenty-somethings as lost for which cause and what method by with which to change the world when such a magnitude of options surround us. "We are not apathetic. What we are, and perhaps this is what Friedman was picking up on, is totally and completely overwhelmed," she asserts. She explains that with increasing causes to defend and the diminishing effectiveness of potential remedies for each cause, we sit wondering what to do.

My answer for the overwhelm? Nature. It became and is still my answer for each dilemma, for inspiration, for joy. I think Martin is right on the money when she assesses our generation's feeling of being out of control. Nature is what my generation needs, what every generation needs, as it teaches how we are part of a balanced whole, and we have the right to control our own lives. Changing the world means, first and foremost, changing ourselves. I wanted to reform American education, and I wanted to do it right away, fast, at nineteen. Then this pain in my neck, literally, told me to slow on down. I had to reform my American education first. It is the eternal lesson: you have to help yourself before you can help others.

I know "nature" is not an adjective, so my term "Generation Nature" is a squeeze, but I think that, especially for females, nature is the answer to empowerment.

I will continue my story to further explain. "This year is going to be about letting go," I told myself, "about realizing that I have to banish dread from my life, and that I have to quiet down inside with all that fear and just embrace the safety of being a powerful woman here who is in charge of her own life." Suddenly, when I took that bold step away from the mainstream expectations and listened to my heart and body and said that I needed time off, something I had envisioned as impossible, all the impossibilities melted away. My mother and I went away while we were unable to live in our house being renovated, found a magical place in nature, and the whole time did not know that it was the plan. Everything just kept falling into place, whereas before that I had felt like I was lifting great weights to make things work. There were sad parts, like not being able to see my dear younger cousins when I wanted them to know how much I still cared even though I was far way. I knew that if I did not start taking care of myself then, though, I would not be able to be there for them at all in the future. And taking care of my neck, giving it healing time, was a full-time job, though well worth it for the lessons it wrote in my heart. More than my neck needed healing. My sense of direction needed healing, as I felt the pressure to keep up that Martin's article describes.

Nature is often a place pointed to as fearful, wild, unknown. Or as boring. But to girls and women especially, I feel, it is vital, our life source.

I took myself to nature school, walking on sunlit (and sometimes cloudy) trails, sitting in a brook, gazing at the trees outside my window, and once having a bird land on my head when I was in a state of reverie. I took joy like a pill every time I stepped out my door and breathed the air. I studied birds and habitats, taught myself to identify their calls, and once stumbled upon a lake full of geese so large in number, I gasped at the enormity of their collective honks. I am committed to more women experiencing what my mother and I experienced. She transformed as well, both of us paring down more to our essences, and she recovered from chronic illness when she was close to losing the battle. Nature, so often, is portrayed as something to fear. If we are going to save this planet, though, we must push that fear away and say, "Beautiful Mother Earth! What do you have to teach me about how to go out into that world and bring peace?" And then we have to sit awhile and listen.

These are responses I have found. She shows us having limits and reaching for the sky at once with the oak tree's pause in growth in winter yet ultimate achievement of grand stature. The fruit on the tree teaches that abundance and nourishment are meant to be birthrights. The moon teaches patience with its slow cycle and persistence with its glow through the clouds. The eagle teaches soaring and landing. The duck teaches humor with its quack or whistle and solidity with its sheltering of its young. And the black-throated blue warbler? It teaches taking a vacation with flair--the males and females winter separately in the Caribbean! In her book Wild Health: How Animals Keep Themselves Well and What We Can Learn from Them, Cindy Engel says, "One way animals reduce their anxiety levels is through grooming, hugging, and stroking themselves." We are allowed, blessed, meant to give ourselves comfort through these simple yet profound ways.

Nature, taking time for joy in it, restored my soul. I think my generation, especially the female twenty-somethings, is in danger of being lost in pursuit of something they cannot see without sweet nature's guidance. Passion, passion, passion. Balance, balance, balance. Joy, joy, joy. Before I had let myself off the hook for awhile and just said, "Ok, heal, have fun, have a blast, in fact," I never in a million years could have approached change in the world with the same appreciation for what it can be that I can now. Having a blast for me was not getting high, going dance parties or anything of the like. It was sitting on my bed passionately rereading a sewing pattern until I understood the directions enough to make the desired item of clothing. It was absorbing a book on birds to get the answers to my questions. It was silent observation of two swans taking flight from a lake. It was intense, inspired passion about the good that exists in the world. That time off was essential for me, like Shadia Wood of Power Shift described in my interview with her.

Reflection is a necessity for vision of change. Joy, as Courtney Martin said in her New Moon blog interview this summer about her book Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters, is where the heart is in change for girls. I think this applies to everyone.

First we find joy. Then we find a solution. When we all turn to nature together for the lessons, joy, and inspiration that it can ignite within, we can then unite toward a common goal and heal this planet's ills. See the good, focus on it, and it will expand as more people learn about it and want it to multiply. Share with others how beautiful this place is, and together, we can bring back all that it can be.

Well, I could write a book on this, as you can see. Maybe I will. For now, let me add just a few more words:

I still have to listen to those voices in my body, that one voice of my true self, that gives me cues about my limits, but now I treasure those voices instead of fearing them. They teach me. Like that call from within.

I was quiet during my time away. Not the quiet that Friedman describes, though. The kind of quiet that fills a theater right before the curtain lifts.

Well, readers, I think you are going to have something to say back to this post, and I cannot wait to hear what it is. What is it like for your generation? Do you think the descriptions of Generation Y describe what you go and your peers go through, or is it different? What do you have to say? I want to know. Girls, you are precious, precious visionaries and gifts to the world. Let me know, and I will listen, no matter how different your thinking may be from mine. Just like the birds have so many different tunes but form a symphony together, our voices can join together and find a solution!

Wishing you a breath of fresh air, Bissy (Elizabeth!)

Letting her dreams take off?

Rose Petal Cottage, targeted toward girls three and older, is a new toy from the kids' company Playskool. It is a playhouse (the website says "more than just a playhouse") deemed "the house of her dreams." And what do girls get to make-believe in this dream house? Why, that they are doing laundry, of course. Is that not what every girl dreams of doing when she grows up? Each "cottage" has an accompanying play-stove, and Playskool also sells a (pretend) muffin-making kit, rose motif lounge chair, "nursery set," kitchen sink, and--you guessed it--washing machine to accompany the house. Would anyone ever market the opportunity to pretend to do a load of wash to boys?

The website has an option of viewing an open house to explore the possibilities within the playhouse. In it, a girl demonstrates the various tasks possible within the dream house and its accompanying accessories. Basically, it seems to show the activities of the very stereotypical image of a "dutiful housewife." Many know that the stereotypical image of a woman whose work is at home does not fit AT ALL with what the media tends to portray. While childcare, cooking, and yes, even cleaning for some, are wonderful pursuits if that is where your heart and passion lies, it simply does not work in my mind to assume that all girls must be exposed to the Rose Petal Cottage as the "house of her dreams." It is sort of like saying, "Here girls, limit your image of your life to within these four walls." What about girls' creativity? I would like to know what young girls would have come up with as their ideal houses and seen a product that resulted from collaboration with that information. A product that would have been flexible, changeable beyond which appliances you choose to purchase. What about multiple products, different houses geared toward different girls?

Now, I have to diverge here and talk about my own personal dream house. Although I would truly appreciate some nice appliances in this image of mine, the washer just never comes up when I picture myself there. (You can tell I am hung up on the laundry bit. It is one of my not-so-favorite activities. I have been recently encountering some laundry appliance challenges.) I picture myself out in a beautiful garden, and to tell the truth I really would not mind the whole rose petal effect on the roof and chimney. I like pink, always have, love floral patterns, and did very much used to enjoy taking care of dolls. That is just me, though. Anyway, within the house, I would love a great big desk for writing, a nice big open space for moving around, a sewing room (Again, just me. I happen to love sewing, but that does not mean any other female should or should not.) The whole gender-geared thing is tough. I remember attending a joint birthday party when I was about five of a brother and sister. For the girls, the party favors were princess hats, I believe. For the boys, something like castle buckets. I adored both of these party favors and lobbied hard to take both home. I seriously thought that everyone was going to take home one of each. I was surprised when I encountered a challenge as I tried to walk away with both. Growing up girl is all about finding the voice within and fending off the world's expectations while you do that. Then making that voice heard.

The feminist world has recently experienced a new craft wave after listening to women's voices. First, society made it the status quo and basically the necessity for most women to knit, sew, and craft in other ways. Making the family's clothes, manifesting handkerchiefs, and many other tasks were just part of a woman's world. Then, as feminism hit, women began dropping their needles in protest to what was defined as a "woman's work," and in general the sentiment was that an inclination for crafts and a feminist outlook on life contradicted each other. No more forced tasks that only women had to do. Now, the general consensus seems to be that women should be free to choose about everything in their lives. No more fitting a certain image of either a traditional woman or a feminist. Just being a feminist woman, and defining that individually. A self. An expressive, empowered, and celebratory inner voice showing up on the outside.

All this makes me think about a favorite recording of mine. It is from Free to Be... You and Me. The segment I love is called "Housework," and the actress Carol Channing narrates it. In it she recites such pearls of wisdom as, "Children, when you have a house of your own,/Make sure, when there's house work to do,/That you don't have to do it alone." It is truly a stellar piece of work, in my opinion. (I listened to the CD repeatedly when I was eleven. I am going to have to diverge again to extol its virtues. I played the CD for my younger cousins, I listened to it to help me go to sleep sometimes, I sang along to it quite a bit. There's one song on the CD, "It's Alright to Cry," that I truly treasure. I choreographed a dance to it when I was fourteen. The album, which is from the 1970s but still applies today, challenges gender stereotypes and celebrates children's freedom to be themselves. OK, my ode to Free to Be... You and Me now over. I could go on, though.)

Back to Playskool, though. By now, you have gotten my opinion of Rose Petal Cottage. I would have liked to see some flexibility with it, some insinuation that girls do not have to conform to this image whatsoever, and some realistic input from a range of girls. I think it would have been pretty cool if they had thrown in a pretend tool set or maybe a science lab add-on. I would have liked those when I was younger.

What do you think? Please, please, please, share your opinion! It does not have to go along with a thing I have to say. All you have to do is express yourself from your gut. Do you think that the toy world markets fairly to girls? Do you wish toys were more gender-neutral? What kind of images do you think young girls should be exposed to in the media?

I want to know. I will be waiting excitedly to hear your responses!

Sending you a heap of empowerment, Elizabeth

These Dolls Don't Play Nice

I was at the Hallmark store the other day getting birthday cards when I saw a rack of Ty Girlz – plush adolescent-looking dolls accompanied by an online code which grants the buyer entry into the Ty Girlz virtual world. I was curious about what Ty (the company that makes these dolls as well as the popular Beanie Babies) had created as their world, and why lately, I have witnessed an outbreak of teenager dolls (think Bratz, This is Me, etc.). I decided to buy one and do some of my own dollerific research.

Perusing my options, I wondered why all the dolls had such downright mean and sarcastic facial expressions. It seems we Americans think that teenage insolence is the coolest thing around, and further reinforce this idea—often culturally attributed to movies, music videos, and celebrities—by selling such dolls to 6 to 13-year-old girls. (I recalled a small girl I had seen the day before in a parking lot, strutting around in a mini skirt and high-heeled boots while holding her mother’s hand. It seemed to me the sale of those clothes benefited the manufacturer more than her.) In the end, I chose Rockin’ Ruby, a rocker chick in all-black faux vinyl or leather. Outfitted with a belly-button ring, choker (wow, a whole ’nother blog could be written on why it’s called that!), platforms, and oodles of makeup, she seemed like the toughest of the lot. (They each sported heels of some sort, makeup, and plenty of accessories though.)

As it turned out, Rockin’ Ruby had just been “retired” (no more of her type of doll will be made), but I could see from her goodbye messages in Ty Girlz world that her persona was a young woman on tour with a band, a teenager whose “positive” traits of independence and musical talent were actually just a hankering to party and dress like a celebrity bad-girl. The rest of the Ty Girlz were equally as into being flirty and glamorous (aka sexually suggestive and super-duper slim) according to their bios and appearances—but who can enjoy your own snazziness when you’re so busy worrying about how you look and which new clothes you need to buy? (You apparently also “NEED” to buy the rest of the Ty Girlz dolls to complete your collection, a direct marketing effort built straight into this world for girls.)

I apologize for judging the dolls based on their external features and certainly hope I am not promoting any negative stereotypes by discussing the personality types these dolls are meant to be, but it’s important to point out that someone purposely created their “looks” and “personas” in order to turn a profit. These skinny, lollipop-headed dolls make cool the anorexic/bulimic body figure, as if feeling bad about yourself, your life, and the state of the world, is normal or even fun and desirable. They imitate the insecurity many of us feel about our external appearances, activities, and relationships—and that makes them cool enough to buy? How confusing.

The Ty company, by involving real girls in their dolls’ virtual world, have infused these toys with a celebrity effect: that of being role models despite that they’re not real people in girls’ personal lives. The Ty Girlz world is a higher-pitched, curliqued version of the commercial MTV atmosphere. As I surfed the site, loud rock or dance music erupted from my screen to accompany chat rooms, fitting rooms, and bedrooms. All there is to do is shop (for clothes or furniture for your house), chat, and play games that all center around a gabby (even catty), sexy climate—and one that ultimately is simply there to endorse the Ty product. After playing some shopping, dressing, and dancing games (whose characters ask you aloud in a girls’ voice to help them “look perfect” or “look my best”), I became hopeful that the trivia game might offer a more interesting and 3-dimensional horizon to this world. When I found that it only featured Ty Girlz “facts,” I truly felt the narrow confines of the Ty Girlz universe: It would be like living in a mall, where every fashion, friend, activity, and thought is dictated to you. For all its colors, cell phone rings, zooming cars, makeover before-and-after shots, and easily-earned Girlz world money—all you have to do is stay and play, and your bank account fills again—its shallow interactivity would not normally hold girls’ attention. But feeling bad about what they look like, what activities they do, and how much money they have compared to their co-avatars sure might.

I am highly disappointed that today’s toys—objects that used to stimulate children’s imaginations—now tell girls not only how to play with them and who they should aspire to become but also who to be now. (One could criticize traditional babydolls for influencing girls’ hopes of eventual motherhood, but Ty Girlz and other such dolls pressure girls to be chic, sexually active, and exterior-focused in their current lives.) And while the Ty Girlz dolls may be accompanied by a bajillion play options that seem to expand or improve upon real-life make-believe—She’s not hard plastic! She’s a friend closer to your age! You can buy her tons of virtual outfits in any color!—her personality, fashion sense, wishes, and ambitions are built-in and pretty unchangeable. (Yes, Rockin’ Ruby’s shiny silver panties are woven into her skin and the rest of her clothes are sewn on—not to mention, the size of her head ensures that she will stick with her current top forever. Clearly, this IS the outfit she wants to be wearing.)

Even if I consider social or community aspects offered by the Girlz world that one might not have with a regular ol’ lone toy, in addition to the confusion between doll and self caused by the online avatar world, these dolls as playthings teach girls that appropriate friendship activities are to “dress up your room” and “give your girls makeovers.” (In imitation of today’s narcissistic ‘social networking’ friendship sites, the “All About Me” section is coming soon to tygirlz.com.) The Girlz chat-room scene is equally as grim. The fact that—against a background of animated silhouettes clubbing—clickable pre-written phrases exist to aid girls too young to type gives me a clear signal that perhaps they shouldn’t be there, and that this is not a place where real friends are found. (Moreover, the fact that I signed up as a 25-year-old yet had full access to the chat rooms doesn’t make me feel any better about the security of girls who might be excited by a stranger’s flattery.)

One website cannot of course single-handedly make a girl devalue herself, no less contribute to how secure she is as she becomes a woman in her teenage years. But in a nation where girls’ (and therefore women’s) self-esteem is dropping, I would say that it certainly adds to—and profits from—the cacophony of voices telling females of all ages who and how to be.

But enough of my ideas—what do YOU think about these dolls? What are your opinions about doll ages (baby, girl, teen, adult)? Do you have TY Girlz or similar dolls with an online playspace? How are they the same and different than dolls that don’t have an online world? What do you think are the pros and cons of playing online? Feel free to disagree with anything I said or comment on a related question I didn’t mention—let your voice be heard! I look forward to reading…

Update: Hardees Gets the Message, Loud and Clear

After Lacey's post on Thursday (see below), plenty of New Moon readers chimed in about the offensive ad for patty melt burgers from from Hardees & Carl's Jr.

You weren't alone! Around the world, hundreds (maybe even thousands) of you protested the degrading, misogynistic ad to CKE Restaurants Inc., the chain that owns the restaurants--and they've decided to edit the ad.

It's disgusting that a huge marketing and business firm felt that Americans would actually put up with that kind of advertising in the first place, but I'm happy that they are, at the very least, listening. I know that many consumers decided to boycott the restaurants, and I'm sure financial reasons were part of the decision. But at least we know that when all of us rise up to make our voices heard, we can make a difference.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure that CKE (and many businesses, for that matter) get it: "The ad was intended to be humorous and irreverent," Brad Haley, CKE's executive vice president of marketing, said Wednesday. "Since it seemed to be missing the mark with too many people, it justified making a change."

Ha. "Missing the mark" is a code word for saying that way too many people were repulsed by the ad for it to bring in more profits. And I'm outraged that a marketing VP could find that kind of objectification funny. I have to say that I doubt he would have found the same situation funny, if the gender of all the actors in the ad had been reversed.

Unfortunately, lots of people still don't think that these ads are that degrading (or inappropriate) anyways. When AOL polled over 65,000 people about the ad, a full 44% gave it a thumbs up. Makes me feel nauseous, to say the very least.

Why is it that we still live in a culture where women's bodies, presented not really as human bodies, but as sexual objects, are still seen as the best way to make dough? And why is it that so many consumers think that it's okay?

Women and . . . Patty Melts?

I don't watch TV much -- And since I don't watch much TV, I didn't know about Hardees & Carl's Jr.'s new ad until someone forwarded me a link to it yesterday. Thanks to that link, I won't be eating at Hardees again.

If you haven't seen the new Hardees ad for their patty melt burger, count yourself lucky. (If you've never eaten at Hardees, count yourself even luckier). If you have seen it, you probably know what I'm talking about. The ad shows a teacher dancing provacatively at the front of her class while her male students rap about her "flat buns." What does this have to do with patty melts? One of the signatures of patty melt sandwiches is that they come served on "flat buns." (Interestingly, when I did a search for patty melt images, I found images of the woman from the commercial but not of the sandwich itself . . .).

So, why do I take offense at this ad? First of all, it refuses to take the teacher seriously as a woman professional. Second, it gives the idea that every woman is fair game when it comes to men's fantasies. Third, it perpetuates an incredibly unhealthy teacher-student relationship. Fourth, it encourages us to look at women as ojbects -- in this case, food. And fifth, it shows teenage boys as being interested in just two things: sex and food.

The Tennessee Teachers Union is protesting the ad, along with other organizations. The Executive Vice President of Marketing for Hardees says that the ad isn't offensive because it's "meant to be funny." Here's the letter I sent:

Due to your "flat buns" commercial with its entirely offensive, inappropriate, and damaging portrayal of women and student-teacher interactions, you have lost me as a customer. Moreover, I am encouraging others to stop buying from your restaurants. I make long drives through my home state about once a month, and there are half a dozen Hardees on my route. I will never stop at one of them again.

If you'd like to write your own letter, you can click on the "contact us" button at this site. Or add your voice to the discussion by commenting here.

Are You Totally Wired?

Hey, all. If you're reading this, chances are you like to spend time online. And it's probably no surprise to you that teens and tweens your age are the most tech-savvy generation ever, or that girls spend more time on social networking sites, like MySpace and Livejournal, than boys. Our good friend Anastasia Goodstein is an expert on teens and the internet. She's recently published a book, Totally Wired, that tracks what tweens and teens are doing online. Although the book is geared toward helping parents understand the online world of their children, it still contains a lot of neat information and websites for girls. AND now Anastasia is touring to talk about teens and technology. Check out her tour dates below -- or see if you're interested in bringing her to YOUR area.

Here's a rough schedule of Anastasia's tour:

October 3-12 New England

October 15-19 Tennessee

October 22-26 DC/Virginia/Maryland

October 29 - November 10 California

Between November 12-16, Anastasia can speak in any part of the country. For more information about Anastasia and her Fall tour, click here.

But now, let's talk about you. Are you "totally wired"? How much time do you spend online? How do you feel about girls your age spending more time online than any other age group? What are the benefits and pitfalls of being "Totally Wired"? When you go online, what do you do? Do you think tweens and teens spend too much time online? Please comment and share all your internetty thoughts!

Why Aren't More Women Blogging? (Actually, You Might be Surprised by How Many Are)

Last month, Jennifer Pozner wrote a great article about women and blogging--I've been meaning to share it for a long time!

Jennifer is the Founder & Executive Director of WIMN, or Women in Media and News. WIMN is an incredible, dynamic organization working to change the face of women in the media--how women are represented and portrayed--and the face of media for women--the role the media plays in womens' lives. More importantly, WIMN works to make the voices of often unheard women heard, including women of color, low-income women, lesbians, youth and older women.

And WIMN has an awesome blog, called WIMN's Voices: A Group Blog on Women, Media, AND… (you fill in the blank--women bloggers discuss everything from hip hop to human rights, to science and sports). Over 50 women contribute to the blog, creating one of the most diverse and wide-reaching blogs online (they range in ange from 19 to 64, they are everything from Quaker to Muslim, they include GLBT women and their straight allies, and about 45% are women of color).

So, I highly encourage you to read their blog. But back to Jennifer's article:

Half of all bloggers are women. Bet you didn't know that. Maybe that's why, as Jennifer points out, many journalists choose to keep asking the same old question, "Where are the women bloggers?" -- rather than actually seek them out. And there are many of them! Take BlogHer, for example: it's an online community of more than 13,000 blogging women. But when BlogHer held an annual convention in July, attended by some 800 bloggers ranging from artists to activists, grandmothers to geeks, the amazing event didn't receive a single bit of national press coverage.

As Jennifer writes, "If many believe that blogging is a primarily male sport, it is partially because old-school gender disparities in resource allocation, power and popularity long entrenched in traditional news media are replicating themselves online. In the blogosphere, young men - mostly white and mostly economically comfortable - link to, write about, promote and fund their buddies' blogs; and corporate media play star-makers, quoting, profiling and featuring the punditry of this New Boys Network. As is hardly surprising to those of us who monitor media representations of women, women who blog (especially those who write about feminist issues) are off the radar."

In other words, blogging--an amazing way for thousands to self-publish and freely distribute their thoughts through the information highway--remains an old boys' club. Women's blogs are less likely to be read. Period.

So, readers, keep reading and supporting your favorite girl- and women-written blogs! (Shameless self-promotion, I know.) But it's up to us to keep looking for ways that women and girls can use blogging to make our voices heard. The tools are there. We've gotta use 'em.

Leave us a comment and join the discussion: Do you blog? Read blogs often? Which are your favorite (or least favorite) blogs? Which issues do you think blogs cover too much, and which do you wish were covered more?

Math and Makeup?

"Math Doesn't Suck". Yes, that is the title of Danica McKellar's new book that tries to get girls interested in math. "I thought it (math) was just for nerdy white guys, but it's not...I want to tell girls that cute and dumb isn't as good as cute and smart," said Danica. Oh, boy. While I think the book is getting at something important, does it really need to have "cutesy graphics and teenmagazine staples...syrupy dollops of just-between-us-girls encouragement" (Peg Tyre author of the Newsweek article) to get girls engaged? Girls today are taking as many high-level math courses as boys do. So why do we need to encourage them? Most girls take math because they need as a supplement their career choice. Hardly any girls pursue a "pure math" job, like a mathematician or engineer. "We've gotten girls to take math. We've gotten girls to use math. But we haven't gotten them to love it," explained Patricia Campbell who reviews math and science programs for the National Science Foundation. I can really understand that people want girls to learn to love math, but is this approach really going to reach girls today? Here's a sample problem from the book: "Say you have $50, and you want to buy a fabulous blue sundress that costs $62. Bummer! Not enough money. But wait, there's a sale tag that says it's 1/5 off. Do you have enough money now?". Reality problems are useful and I understand that many girls might like this angle. If it helps them get interested in math, great. However, is it necessary to have inserts like "three miniprofiles of drop-dead-gorgeous mathematicians" (Peg Tyre)? Oh, well. I really hope that this book does help girls get involved with math and see that it's a career worth pursuing.

Peace, friends.

What's in a Name?

Apparently a lot. A new study claims that if a girl has a more "feminine" name she will be less likely to study math or science after the age of 16. The study tested 1,000 pairs of sisters and found that a girl named 'Alex' was twice as likely to take math or science at a higher level than a girl named 'Elizabeth'. Partly, it is the way people respond to certain names. While there are exceptions, the study said most people will treat 'Isabella' differently than 'Alex'. "Girls with feminine names were often typecast," said David Figlio a professor of economics at the University of Florida (author of the report). Most girls are aware that people tend to assume that boys are better in math and science. "It is a stereotype, and girls with particularly feminine names may feel more pressure to avoid technical subjects," Figlio said. This doesn't mean that girls with more feminine names are any less capable than any other girl; they be just as good.

A big part of the problem, the study claims, is because teachers subconsciously have lower expectations of kids with less 'traditional' names. A teacher in London, Edyta Ballantyne, got a list of names before even meeting the kids and said it was hard not to make a judgement. "I think most people get an image in their head when they hear a name," she said, "If you treat a child differently because of their name, then they will behave differently. That is why the issue for every teacher is to look beyond their name."

Another study finds that if you remind a girl of the stereotype that boys do better in math they will perform badly. "The women start worrying about screwing up which uses up important short term or working memory which could otherwise be used performing the task," said Sian Beilock who is an assistant professor of psychology at the university of Chicago. Sian took two groups of women and told one group that they were being tested to 'see why men generally do better on math than women' and the other was told they were just a part of a math performance experiment. The group who had the stereotype test averaged an 80%; down from their pretest at about 90%. "I thought about how boys are usually better than girls at math so I was trying harder not to make mistakes," said one women who took the stereotyped test.

I must note that the study about girl names has not yet been published officially. You can make your own conclusions about the credibility of the study. Here is another side of the story that was posted on a blog. It should be interesting to see if the study is published and the effects it might have.

(According to the state Department of Education: Girls in grades 3-8 are doing better in math, where their proficiency rate of 73.5 percent edges out the boys’ rate of 71.9 percent.)

If any of you are interested in science and technology (whether your name is Elizabeth or Lauren!) check out this website. It has some links to some good sites, but I didn't check them all (over 100) so just remember that not all its' information could be credible.

Peace, friends.

Clinton Cleavage? Who cares?

Recently, I got an email that one of the New Moon staff had sent out and it had this article attached to it. The article (called Hillary Clinton's Tentative Dip Into New Neckline Territory) was published in the Washington Post; a newspaper I thought was above the cutting remarks it bestowed on Clinton. At this point, it doesn't matter who the article was referring to. I'm not complaining because it's Hilary Clinton; what I am saying is that the things this journalist assumed about women are totally wrong. "Showing cleavage is a request to be engaged in a particular way. It doesn't necessarily mean that a woman is asking to be objectified, but it does suggest a certain confidence and physical ease," says Robin Givhan, author of the article. Right. Are you suggesting that all women that wear tanktops have "confidence and physical ease"? It just made me mad that this should even be worth writing; let alone published. Why are we wasting space that could be used for valuable news? "I can’t believe they’re serious about this – it almost feels like the article is a “trap” – just to register how much outrage there is out here. And there is plenty around," Paulette Warren (New Moon's Chief Marketing Officer) wrote.

Apparently, Ms. magazine is calling for action. "...it was reassuring to see how many people are scoffing at this article. Still, that doesn't stop the fact that it made it to publication and that alone means a lot of people along the line have given it tacit approval. It's pretty disgusting," writes Lacey Louwagie (New Moon's Acting Manager Editor) in response. You can take action against the article by 1) sending this email to the editor from Ms. magazine 2) (if you don't like form letters) make your own email and send it to letters@washpost.com or 3) write a letter to the editor at: Letters to the Editor The Washington Post 1150 15 St. NW Washington, DC 20071.

Okay, rant over.

Peace, friends.

Still Second Class

Have you ever dreamed of being an actress? Ever wish you could see your movie go right to number one? Well you would definitely be changing history if you did. According to Newsweek no movie about a woman has been number one in the box office for 40 years. Okay, what's up with that? The report says it has a lot to do with technology and how 63% of box office revenue now comes from other countries where explosions sell better than talking. "There used to be a variety of roles for women. Not just leading roles but character roles. They're not there anymore because movies aren't dialogue-driven, and that's what female relationships are based on."- Frances McDormand.

Yes, actresses earn big paychecks, but often times it's for a supporting role in a male-driven blockbuster. It seems that Hollywood's solution is to "have female protagonists as male." The accepted genres for women (like romantic comedies) never do well anymore. It's not a surprise; we have seen the same story a hundred times. So why doesn't anyone write new and exciting roles for women? Well, like almost every business, it's job is to make money. And "when Hollywood looks into the eyes of a women, what it sees is a loss leader." Women have achieved so much, but it seems, in Hollywood, we still have a long way to go.

I encourage all of you to read the full article by David Ansen and Sean Smith.

Peace, friends.

Letter to . . . Advertisers?

Hi, girls! As you know, New Moon is still working hard on our Letter to Congress campaign, collecting YOUR letters so we can personally deliver them to Congresspeople at the end of March. If you haven't sent your letter yet, download postcards and find out more here.

We're also beginning to prepare for another Turn Beauty Inside Out Conference in New York City, where we'll once again be tackling the advertising industry. Last Friday, I wrote about the TBIO conference and someone left this great comment:

"Hey, I would love to come, but I live in Canada. I have a very good idea
though, maybe it can be like the Letters to Congress.... but girls can write
letters to the people who work in the advertising industry and you can share
them with them or discuss our feelings. It would be awesome is ALL girls can
have a voice in it. Please consider my idea."

I thought this was a GREAT idea, so I immediately emailed Caroline, the Executive Director of Mind on the Media. She agreed that she'd love to deliver girls' letters to advertisers. So if YOU have something to say to the women and men who work in the advertising industry, send your thoughts to Caroline@mindonthemedia.org or to

Mind on the Media: Attn: Caroline Ticarro-Parker
710 St. Olaf Avenue Ste. 200
Northfield, MN 55057 USA

So pick up your favorite pen or brush up on your typing skills -- lets make Congress AND advertisers start listening to girls!

What exactly is ugly about Betty?!?

This week, I asked readers of New Moon's e-newsletter to share their reactions to the hit TV show, "Ugly Betty." New Moonies love America Ferrera, the star of the show, who spoke as part of a "Being a Girl in Hollywood" panel at the Turn Beauty Inside Out Girls' Leadership Retreat in 2005. When America recently picked up a Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy, she said,

"It's such an honor to play a role that I hear from young girls on a daily basis how it makes them feel worthy and lovable and that they have more to offer the world than they thought."

"Ugly Betty" seems to be resonating with many girls and women. What do YOU think about the show's message? And what about that title? Check out what a few of our friends had to say, then share YOUR opinion by leaving a comment or writing to blog@newmoon.org.

"I think it is wonderful how there is a show about a girl who is not perfect and beautiful, but a powerful woman. She is a wonderful actress despite the fact that she is not movie-star thin. It sends a wonderful message and I think this show should go on for a long time." –Emily, 10, Pittsburgh

"Whereas I understand the show, 'Ugly Betty,' turns out to be a positive production for girls, the title just seems offensive to me." –Caren, Massachusetts

"It seems to me that this show actually is reinforcing some arbitrary (Media-driven) notion of an ideal beauty! I guess the message of the show is that a person has value, even if she is ugly? But I still can't figure out what, exactly, is ugly about Betty! Is it because she has glasses and braces? Is she really considered overweight? Maybe it’s the brown curly hair? I think she is actually pretty attractive. I’ll admit that I've only watched the whole show a couple of times, and I can appreciate the intention. Still, I think the concept is ill-conceived and off-target. On another note, I think it's a shame that the content (due to adult themes, etc.) is inappropriate for pre-teens. My daughter is 12, and I don't encourage her to watch. " –Heidi, New Hampshire

"Personally, I am bummed that the title of the show is 'Ugly Betty.' I don't find Betty ugly at all! She is hard-working, kind, generous, warm and funny. I can see where it might be igniting conversation among girls and women, and hopefully among boys and men, too, which is extremely necessary. All good things start with valuable conversation. But there is so much focus on the body that it worries me for our youth. What about Betty's beautiful mind? Are girls able to separate all of this?" –Pam Erickson, Maine (Pam is executive director of Coastal Studies for Girls.)

"I LOVE Ugly Betty! At first I didn't know what to think about the title until I watched the show and really got the message. It's great! We need more shows like this and more actresses who are not the anorexic norm. We want REAL women!" –Rudy Ann Gunneson-Poling, California

Natalia published by PBS NewsHour!

I'm excited to announce that Natalia's commentary on President Bush's recent address is featured prominently as a student editorial on the PBS NewsHour Extra website. It's called "U.S. Military Strategies Ignore Iraqi Girls' Rights," and it's on the "Speak Out!" page. Check it out!

Natalia says, "I hadn't heard about NewsHour's website before, but I'm enjoying discovering it. It's a great forum for students to speak out on political issues. The website includes a page on how to get your commentary published by NewsHour Extra."

Congratulations, Natalia--what an honor! I hope lots more girls submit their political opinions to our blog and to NewsHour Extra. Good luck!

Big Things

Our friends at YouthLearn recently put together a neat list of 100 Big Things that have impacted youth in the last 5 years.

Here are just a few of the cool things on YouthLearn's list:

24. PBS Kids website
Leveraging the wide portfolio of characters on its TV shows, PBS offers children free games and activities at its website, as well as resources for educators and parents. This site is hugely popular in youth centers and afterschool programs around the country given the safe, educational nature of the content.
URL: http://pbskids.org/

33. Global Kids Online Game Project
Can young people design a game that's got some real world substance to it? At Global Kids the answer is "yes," and the Cost of Life game tests the boundaries offun and social conscience.
URL: http://thecostoflife.org/

38. UNICEF Voices of Youth
This UNICEF initiative reorganized itself in 2002 as an international forum for youth to "explore, speak out, and take action."
URL: http://www.unicef.org/voy

34. Girls Creating Games
Another program we're fans of--using simple Flash based games to engage young women in technology and personal exploration.
URL: http://programservices.etr.org/gcgweb

52. Radio Diaries/Teen Reporter Handbook
OK, not new within the last five years, but still a great resource for educators and young radio producers.
URL: http://www.radiodiaries.org/makeyourown.html

53. Youth Radio on The Web
Storytelling and investigative journalism by youth air on a growing list of media outlets, including NPR, PRI, WireTap, etc., but are also available for streaming or podcast off the Youth Radio site.
URL: http://www.youthradio.org/

54. Uth TV
Originally launched as a prime-time local Bay area broadcast, Uth TV has moved to the web and is showing how the YouTube model can me both purposeful and hip.
URL: http://uthtv.com/

57. ListenUp!
The premier network for youth media organizations around the U.S. with great resources on production, analysis, and dissemination. Check out their site for a huge archive of youth-produced media that can be viewed right online.
URL: http://www.listenup.org/

To see YouthLearn's entire list of inspiring organizations and cool websites, go to http://www.youthlearn.org/resources/newsletter/issue100.html. Then, get out there and create your own media!

Underweight Models

Earlier this month organizers of a top annual fashion show banned 5 models from the show because they were underweight. The models were examined by medical doctors and based on the standards of the World Health Organization were not allowed to walk the cat walk. Organizers wanted the show to “project an image of beauty, elegance and health, so we also banned makeup that makes models appear sickly.Clearly we don't want walking skeletons.”

The news of the banning created a lot of buzz.

Our friend Audrey Brashich received an inspirational post on her blog. http://audreybrashich.blogs.com/audrey_brashich/2006/09/more_on_skinny_.html

Magali Amadei and Claire Mysko http://www.insidebeauty.org shared their opinion about too thin models on the CBS website. http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2006/09/25/couricandco/entry2037956.shtml

An article in the September 25th edition of USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-09-25-thin-models_x.htm explored the effects underweight models have on girls’ and young women’s body images. According to the studies sited in the article, being surrounded by an image of beauty that most girls and women can’t attain, has negative consequences.

The list of blog posts and articles about this subject goes on and on.

All of the buzz is great! Unfortunately, most of the talk is from adults. We want to know what girls think about this issue! Girls, how do you feel about the ban that was put on the models in Madrid? Do ultra skinny models have a negative effect on your body image? Whose responsibility is it to determine the body type of fashion models? The fashion industry? The consumers? An outside organization? Do you think the ban is discrimination?

Send your comments to blog@newmoon.org.

On Growing Up: Ryann's Perspecitve

An 11-year-old girl named Ryann published a thoughtful essay on the life of a tween over at Empowerment4Women. Check it out!

Ryann contrasts her experiences with her mom's, and though there ARE girls playing football these days (see yesterday's post), I think she's right that today's kids are surrounded by media--TV, internet, iPods, etc.--and more "under the influence" of stars and advertisers. What's the solution? I think kids need to learn about how the media works and how marketers try to influence you, so you can make conscious choices about who you're going to be and why.

What do you think, girls? Does Ryann's essay sound like real life to you? Or do you have a different experience/perspective?

Katie Couric Loses 20 Pounds in 20 Seconds!

A lot of people are talking about this altered photo of Katie Couric (above).

From an MSNBC article:

The incoming “CBS Evening News” anchor appears significantly thinner in a network promotional magazine photo thanks to digital airbrushing. The touched-up photo of Couric dressed in a striped business suit appears on the inside of the September issue of Watch! which is distributed at CBS stations and on American Airlines flights.

So, why are so many people talking? Why isn't the same attention brought to all the models and actors that get airbrushed all the time? Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that someone got caught. But why has it taken so long for them to get caught?

We want to hear from YOU!
Why are so many people talking about this?
Are you glad people are talking about airbrushing, or
do you think the media is making a big deal out of nothing?
Now that airbrushing is "the norm," do you think it's OK? Why or why not?