Mattel’s Manipulative Monster High Marketing Machine: Unkind.

June 15, 2012 Last year when I wrote about Mattel’s vampy campy Monster High dolls I purposely didn’t even name their brand, hoping it would quietly fizzle and bury itself in the outcry of parents … [Read more...]

Vamp Tramp Toys: A Monster Problem

Mar. 16, 2011 Show and tell time on this  Wordless Wednesday. Not going to give them the pleasure of naming names here to add to their search engine buzz, since  research has shown that one of … [Read more...]

Vogue “Cadeaux”-Children ARE Gifts. Not To Be Wrapped & Sold

Jan 6, 2011 “You have to separate the art from the artist.” How many times have you heard that turn of phrase relating to everything from hotel smashing rockers and hiphop thuggery to mind-bending … [Read more...]

SPARK Ignites A Firestorm of Powerhouses: Geena Davis, & More

October 16, 2010 The countdown to the SPARK Summit (Sexualization Protest: Action. Resistance. Knowledge) is in its final week, culminating in the NYC Summit Friday Oct 22, 2010 and the hits just keep … [Read more...]

Teen Girls: Ready For A Rebel Yell? SPARK Change Now!

Sept. 7, 2010 Girls, are you tired of being wrapped up, marketed and sold like a slab of meat? Having the media tell the world what your priorities are? Sick of slimy innuendos aimed at toddlers, … [Read more...]

Raising Authentic Girls: Rachel Simmons’ “Be You! The Real Girl Tour”

August 31, 2010 “Be you!” Riiiiight. In a media environment that cynically exploits how to act, what to wear, why to buy and who to be, girls are repeatedly told to "be themselves." GirlsHealth … [Read more...]

Author Rosalind Wiseman Brings Youth Editors Into YA KidLit Process

Feb. 8, 2010 I bought a copy of the new YA novel by renowned author Rosalind Wiseman of Queen Bees & Wannabes bestseller fame, called “Boys, Girls & Other Hazardous Materials” ...As soon as it … [Read more...]

Hey Dads, Watch Your Language: Girls Are Not For Sale!

Feb. 4, 2010 Today Senator Scott Brown (R) was confirmed in the Senate... ...And I confirmed not all that much has changed from yesteryear...Especially when girls and women are reduced to chattle … [Read more...]

Bottom Feeders Like American Apparel Need Whacked in the Assets

Feb. 9, 2010 Update: Almost 1000 signatures already & expanding global on ipetitions now! Join in! Orig article 2-2-10: "Confident about the junk in your trunk? Show us your assets! Post a … [Read more...]

Curse of the Good Girl: Interview with Rachel Simmons

August 29, 2009 “Aw, mom, it sounds boring, why do I have to hear some ‘expert’ talk about stuff I already know…Are any of MY friends going to be there?” Those were my ten year old daughter’s words … [Read more...]

Film Screenings: ATB Tonight in Marin, Consuming Kids, June 4th!

May 28, 2009 Last night’s screening of America the Beautiful in S.F. at the Clay with director Darryl Roberts for Q&A yielded another 220 ardent ATB fans and helped support About-Face in the … [Read more...]

Worldshapers: Women Wired to Make A Difference

May 24, 2009 Passionistas span the globe in all shapes, sizes and countries, and it makes me wonder sometimes if some of us are just ‘hard-wired’ with the 'want to make a difference' gene from the get … [Read more...]

Women Talk Sports Network: Voices To Be Heard

May 19, 2009 In the “Young Runners” post yesterday I glossed over the new Women Talk Sports network and Shaping Youth Correspondent Rebecca Scritchfield’s involvement as one of their cadre of … [Read more...]

3 Sisters Adventure Trekking: Changing the Game Through Sport

April 7, 2009 How can you empower women, make change happen with a quick click and take that Nike swoosh to the next level of youth and cultural change? Those of you who have ‘friended’ me on … [Read more...]

Diagnosis Endometriosis: What to Know As Preteens Grow

Mar. 31, 2009 Today I was planning on posting part two in my series on the  Focus on Youth Sex::Tech Conference resources featuring health education tools, widgets, sex ed primers and helpful digital … [Read more...]

Brain Cake: Teen Girls Talk Tech & World Changing (Part Two)

Update Oct. 22, 2015 Reminder: BrainCake shifted to CanTEENgirl.org in 2011 with heavy hitting sponsorship as a project of Carnegie Science Center. CanTeen has some fun STEM career explorations, … [Read more...]

Techno-Leaders Converge at She’s Geeky Jan. 30-31, 2009!

Jan. 27, 2009 Albert Einstein said,“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” At She’s Geeky last year, I met women who can give that hope for humanity back, … [Read more...]

Turning Over a New Leaf: Relationships With Youth

Packed with fitness resolutions, habit-changing, self-care promises and assorted organizational ‘gotta-dos,’ January is always my reality jolt into what I’ve neglected far too … [Read more...]

Seven Sensational Blogs About Girls (All Things Girl Pt.2)

I’ve learned something about myself from running this All Things Girl series…As much as I love it, I miss being ‘in the moment’ sharing life in ‘real … [Read more...]

Media Musts To Wrap Up “All Things Girl” Week (Part One)

To whittle down to a handful of ‘media musts’ for our grand finale of ‘All Things Girl’ week has been hard, so I’m going to try to shine the spotlight on some lesser … [Read more...]