Rudolph: A Parable On Bullying, Peer Pressure & Soaring High

Dec. 17, 2010 Media madness has hit some new toxic tipping points lately, from sexualized cues for tweens to slink around like a ho-ho-ho (great awareness-raising via this new PTC study) to teen pot use rising after years of decline, and of course the influence of Miley's latest messes surging sales of ‘salvia’ ... Sooooo today I’m (re)running Lessons From Rudolph about … [Read more...]

Sexualization Summit: Save the Date Oct 22, 2010 NYC

May 17, 2010 As irony would have it, on Thurs, May 13, in New York City, a small tribe of thought leaders convened on how to best address rampant sexualization of youth in media and marketing. Each invitee of this diverse group was hand-selected for the purpose of "bringing their entire communities" into the conversation and sharing next steps, best practices, and public … [Read more...]

Grammy Glitz and Gimmicks Galore: Did Kids Watch? Did You?

Feb.1, 2010 Promise I’ll leave the 52nd Annual Grammy music deconstruction to the review pros, but just wanted to comment on the media and gadgetry of 21st century events in new media style. Where else would you see social media integration of Imogen Heap's  Twitter Dress composed of photos sent by fans in real-time using the hashtag #twitdress? Purpose? To let fans  … [Read more...]

Shaping Youth is in the Philadelphia Inquirer Today

Sept. 2, 2009 For a media shy writer wonk who likes to fly under the radar, you might say I’m a ‘glutton’ for punishment each time I agree to making a comment to the press. The Bebé Glotón toy story originated at Thingamababy about the Spanish breastfeeding doll with slurpy sounds and strap-on-bib; human not included. Since then, it's taken off into controversy land and … [Read more...]

So Sexy So Soon: Shaping Youth Chats With Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D.

August 17, 2009 Last month So Sexy So Soon hit the market in paperback, though my hand-signed hardback by academic rockstars Diane Levin, Ph.D. and Jean Kilbourne Ed.D is frayed, highlighted, and worn from full use with youth and parent ed groups ever since its release last year. I broke bread with these two research pioneers at Susan Linn’s house when she hosted all of the … [Read more...]