April 28, 2016 The dismissive wails from the Twittersphere and social media mavens were almost audible: "Oh please, not another pink and blue gender in the toy aisle post..." To coin a phrase from Part One of the White House convening on Breaking Gender Stereotypes in Media and Toys, "Yes, And..." I’ve been writing about media and marketing’s impact on kids for ten years … [Read more...]
April 20, 2016 As a staunch critic of the toy industry’s complicity in marketing vapid values and gender stereotypes that can limit instead of expand kid’s brain plasticity, it’s no surprise that I raised eyebrows with newfound HOPE seeing that the White House convened a one-day session on “Breaking Down Gender Stereotypes in Media and Toys” blending a wide array of … [Read more...]
April 14, 2016 Most know Superman and Supergirl are adopted, along with Peter Parker as Spiderman, Dick Grayson as Robin, and heck even Bamm Bamm Rubble from the Flintstones...but all too often in media, characters depicted as adopted get the ‘cartoon’ treatment even when they’re not cartoons. From language used in journalism coverage, to controversial Avengers punchlines in … [Read more...]
Dec. 7, 2015: I've decided to freecycle the book I bought as my holiday gift to readers, so add your own "gift of failure" in the comments section (or tweet @ShapingYouth) for a chance to win it! Dec. 6, 2015 It’s affordable, though hard to wrap, since it shape-shifts at different ages and stages. It’s elusive, with many parents not quite ready to invest in short term … [Read more...]
Oct. 2, 2015 Long before self-proclaimed experts flooded social media with newly minted personas and punditry, women like filmmaker Jean Kilbourne spent decades of devotion upending toxic media narratives. In an era of sound bite journalism and ‘look at me’ talking heads, culture critics like Jean Kilbourne are "the real deal" with a lifetime spent shining glaring high beams … [Read more...]
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