Thought-Provoking Comments On the Sexualization of Girls

The sexualization of girls of all ages is nowhere near new. We all know this. But just knowing it, accepting it as fact, is not enough! We need to read more insightful (and at times frightful) commentaries like this one from The Guardian. The stories shared by these four British women could have been written by almost any woman, almost anywhere in the world. And that's precisely what makes it so important. This column comes on the heels of the report that the French government has called for a ban on beauty contests for young girls after outrage over a 10-year-old in French Vogue. I firmly believe that beauty pageants are just one of the many, many ways we perpetuate this terrible trend of stealing childhood innocence from our girls. We need to pay attention to our words and our actions about and toward little girls. Think about what you're praising them for because that will be the source of their worth. Use words and behaviors that reinforce concepts aside from their appearance. It all starts with being mindful of how we construct the world around our girls and how we portray girls to our boys. That is just as crucial! So, please, read and discuss...here, with each other, with your girls and boys.    

Completely Visible Baby Bump

What do you think of nude pregnancy photos? Beautiful? In bad taste? A celebration of womanhood? Or just another form of objectification? One thing is for certain, her comment that she "will croak" if her daughter asks her "for a pair of Nikes instead of Christian Louboutins" is not exactly progressive...

A Pair of Pantyhose and a Dream = A Billion Dollars

It's amazing to see a woman on the cover of the Forbes "Billionaires" issue! Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, has such an inspiring story to tell. Watch this video and get motivated to follow your own dream!

Adobe Day Cream: A Celebrity's Secret Weapon

We could really use more ads like this one. Even if it's for a fake product :) Fortunately, the prevalence of Photoshop on every ad and and photo shoot is getting some major exposure of late. Now, if they'd just stop making such drastic use of it!

A Lady Gaga Parody in Honor of International Women's Day

To help you celebrate the day, watch this brilliant parody video entitled "Bad Romance: Women's Suffrage!"

Happy International Women's Day 2012!

March 8th is International Women's Day and the theme for 2012 is "Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures." This should and could be a theme for every day of the year. Each year the United Nations also declares an overall theme, and this year's theme is "Empower Rural Women--End Hunger and Poverty." Click here for more information, plus a listing of events and celebrations happening all over the globe!

Smart Answer

We need more people like Joss Whedon developing and scripting television programs!

Ways to Wield the Hammer

If current trends continue, "it will take until 2056 for women and men's earnings to reach pay parity." Additionally, a mere 20% of top private companies worldwide are run by women. We still have a long way to go in the world of work. This article from Fast Company provides some advice on ways to chip away, and hopefully begin to smash, the proverbial ceiling.

Celebrate Women's History Month!

March is Women's History Month and the Library of Congress, among several other national institutions, have joined together to pay tribute to the female side of our country's heritage. The theme for this year is "Women's Education--Women's Empowerment." The dedicated website is rich in information, images, audio, and video. Take a look. You might just feel a little inspired!