Olympic Body Image: Talking Points To Get it Right, Fit vs Fiction

Aug. 9, 2016 Rio! This post still applies tenfold in terms of word watching and body image critiques of Olympic athletes! Media Smarts has added some parenting talking tips for boys/girls too! Meanwhile, here are more relevant Rio updates on athletes and body image for 2016: TeenVogue: US Olympic Swimmers Open Up About Body Image & Eating Disorders Fast Co: When … [Read more...]

Julia Bluhm’s Plea To Curb PhotoShop Sparks Change at Seventeen Mag

July 8, 2012 No secret the 'world according to teen magazines' is abysmal for girls, and we've seen mega-stats, studies and fact sheets about the impact on tweens and teens, (KFF pdf here) but as the adage goes... "People don't change when they see the light; they change when they feel the heat." We can thank 14-year old Julia Bluhm for sparking that bonfire. In the … [Read more...]

Boys, Body Image and Sexualization: An Equal Opportunity Destroyer

Aug. 8, 2016 Update More new research shows marketing is responsible for creating body image issues with boys, which I've written about here, and certainly here devoted to the impact of 'bigorexia' on children's health for a decade, so no surprise there. BBC News reports the survey was conducted by advertising think tank Credos...Ironically, this excellent NYT think piece … [Read more...]

My Mommy Taught Me To Surf: Meaningful Media for Mother’s Day

May 8, 2012 Happy Children's Book Week all! (May 7-13 2012) No secret I prefer media that has a social enterprise tie-in or a deeper message than the vapid values of commercialism circulating in the mainstream, so was thrilled to see this Surfrider Foundation "protect the oceans" message wrapped in a girls empowerment, active how-to book for kids, called My Mommy Taught Me … [Read more...]

Time for a Digital Cleanse! Join Us For Screen Free Week April 30-May 6

April 12, 2012 Ommm...want to join me in turning off all glowing electronic devices to celebrate CCFC's Screen Free Week  of insight April 30-May 6, 2012? It's a great chance to unplug...and reconnect. Much like the freebie candlelight yoga practice I stumbled upon last evening, it's a welcome surprise to experience the calm, centered, simplicity tuning into one’s internal … [Read more...]