Our daughter has a birthday coming up and I am excited to give her her first baby doll. Not only did I love playing with dolls when I was young, but research shows that playing with dolls helps children grow the parts of their brains associated with empathy and social skills (even for boys, by the way, … Continue reading
Note to my real sister: Marissa, you had better not become a serial killer. That shit would stress me out. Set in Nigeria, My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite tells the story of two sisters. One is a dutiful and intelligent nurse who works with a dreamy doctor. The other is gorgeous, charming, careless, and a … Continue reading
This is wonderful and well said!
Please see my response to the backlash against the backlash here: Click! [Quick update/clarification: Victoria’s Secret is pointing out that the Bright Young Things line is not explicitly for teens, it’s just part of their PINK brand. Nonetheless, their CFO has stated that they are marketing toward 15 and 16 year old girls (see below) … Continue reading
I was on Pinterest looking at health and wellness things. I stumbled over this image (right), nestled between hundreds of pictures of flat tummies and avocados and almonds. Thinspo is the new(ish) euphemism used by pro-ana sites for pictures of (often painfully) thin bodies to motivate or fat bodies to shame. I didn’t know what … Continue reading
Recently I had one of those “what the what am I doing to myself?” moments in my “beauty” regimen. It starts with the sad fact that I hate my skin. It is a problem well-known enough that my little sister picks on me about it. There is nothing quite as embarrassing as being bullied by … Continue reading
For the record, things like this are why I’m concerned: And, no, I don’t think most little girls are picking up Maxim. But teen girls might. And teen boys probably do. And these types of images and ideologies might be intended as a joke, but when it comes to how my culture treats and depicts … Continue reading
Last year at the PCA/ACA Conference, I presented a paper about Rachel Berry and Glee‘s portrayal of gifted girls, specifically the way the show reifies the notion that adolescent girls who are high-achievers in academics or other areas have to choose between being socially acceptable or nurturing their abilities. I’m kind of frustrated to see … Continue reading
I can remember vividly the first time I was told I was beautiful*. I was about eleven years-old and at the ballpark for one of my brother’s games and a mom of another kid on the team stopped me midway between the concession stand and the stands. She told me that I was growing so … Continue reading
Ph.D.s and Pigtails 