My Daughter Drank the Kool-Aid: Media Moments in Adolescence

Media's power has an odd way of sneaking up on you at unexpected moments...Remember this one I wrote about preteen body/beauty influence? Well, this weekend, she eagerly tapped into wikipedia and YouTube to get the scoop on how to dye the ends of her long blonde hair with Kool-Aid unsweetened bright red cherry mix in an attempt to 'look like a rocker,' using her own sitting … [Read more...]

New Moon Girl Media: Orb28 Gives Rise to Teen Voices (Part 2)

Ready to tap into the 'inner sphere' of the upcoming teen site Orb28? Continuing yesterday's post about youth media orgs like these ready to put pop culture messaging on a whole new frequency, we'll see what some of the Orb28 Girls Web Editorial Board (at left) have to say about 'what's good for girls'...(also don't miss Patti Binder's blog along these lines!) Orb28 fits … [Read more...]

New Moon’s Rising For Girls Media: Orb28 For Teens 13-15+ (Part 1)

Orb28 Let's see: Orb: "A sphere of influence, a collective body"...28: numeral referring to the moon's cycle...New Moon: lunar phase when the moon orbits between the Earth and the Sun; Moon: a symbol of womanhood... Okay, I'm beginning to get it now...As a name generation gal, I tend to dissect etymology for sport, but I admittedly glossed over New Moon Girl Media as simply … [Read more...]

Manga Makeovers and Other Body Image Cartoon Capers (Part 2)

It’s devil’s advocate day here, as I try to flush out my bias and take a centrist point of view on the cartoon character facelift conundrum, exploring ‘then and now’ from a sociological perspective, with a bit more analysis from yesterday's post on my own marketing background in terms of branding overhauls. After all, Pooh Bear got a makeover. So did Mickey. Popeye. Charlie … [Read more...]

Facelifts for Kiddie Characters: Rebranding ’80s Icons?

Last week’s New York Times article on 21st century ‘facelifts’ for kiddie characters gave me the willies on a variety of fronts, despite the fact that I’ve personally ‘freshened’ many a brand in my time. From Peanuts to Barbie, I 'get' that mega-brands need to stay au courant... I’ve admittedly had a hard time tapping into specific analysis of what’s irking me most about … [Read more...]