Healthy Youth Media Act Pt 2: Can Change Be Legislated? (interview)

July 21, 2010 Can you hear the drumbeat, Hollywood? It’s getting louder. Girl advocates like Jessica Lawrence head to Capitol Hill to discuss H.R. 4925 tomorrow to share firsthand data about how depictions of women and girls in the media affect youth health and are landing sideways. Small business entities like Melissa Wardy of  Wisconsin based PigtailPals has devoted an … [Read more...]

Kids Summer Camps & Niche Gender Marketing: Why?

June 8, 2010 Why do we have to turn summer camp into a marketing opportunity for pink and blue? What's the matter with plain ol' grass green and outdoor fun? Admittedly, I never made it to a 'traditional camp' until I was a parent. We moved duty stations during summers, and if we didn’t, we were ‘free range kids,’ amped with self reliance, creative spunk, and behavior … [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...]

Redefining Girly: Girls Rights Week W/Founder of Pigtail Pals

May 6, 2010 Call her a mompreneur, entrepreneurista, or "the original PigTail Pal," Melissa Wardy is a mama bear with a mission and a voice that roars when it comes to changing the way our society thinks about girls. What better way to celebrate Girls Inc's Girls Rights Week than to honor the first year anniversary of a "stay-at-home mom turned work-at-home activist" … [Read more...]

Girls Are Not Candies. Tweens Are Not Teens. Thongs Are Not Undies.

May 4, 2010 A few years back I commented on the post Confessions of a Lingerie Lover by Fae Goodman on Alternet and copped to being “one and the same.” Fae uncorked a doozy of a conversation that brought out the best/worst in femme debates as she pithily contrasted the difference between adult media messages and ‘costuming’ cues and the marketer’s desire to target adolescents, … [Read more...]