Growing Girls With Purpose
February 29th, 2008 — Other stuff
I feel privileged to have taken the opportunity to vote for the first woman and the first mother to run for President of the United States. May I see many more opportunities in my lifetime and may my daughter take for granted the possibility that a woman will win!
February 28th, 2008 — Family Life, Mother-Daughter Emotional Osmosis
by Tracee Sioux
I love the Science of Happiness. You’ve heard of that neuroscientist, Richard J. Davidson, who studies what our brains do when they are happy and tells us how we can get more of it?
I was thinking. I’m 34 years old and I’m thrilled to apply new ways to be happy – meditating, yoga, hot baths, time to myself, time with my family and friends, acts of service, inspiring art on the wall, and a passion for writing.
But, what if my daughter (and son) doesn’t have to wander around for 30 years not knowing how to be happy?
What if I taught her the tried and true scientific methods to be happy straight from the go just like I taught her how to read and add. Surely, how to be happy is as valuable and fundamental a life-skill as that?
There was an article in O Magazine about 5 things we can do for ourselves to learn to be happy. I’ve taken the liberty of adapting the list for my daughter. Feel free to adapt it for your own family.
1. Do what you love. I can help her learn what her natural talents are and give her an opportunity to explore and develop those skills.
2. Learn new things. Right now she’s taking Taekwondo and loving it.
3. Teach her the significance of NOW and how to avoid “if only” thinking. If I can teach her that happiness is a choice and now is the only time she can grasp it I’ll consider my job as a parent well done.
4. Encourage social interaction with best friends and create and environment where her friendships flourish. Obviously this implies teaching her how to be a good friend.
5. Allow her to be happy. Don’t burden her with unnecessary guilt and issues.
Don’t we all just want to raise happy girls? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could teach them happiness as a skill?
Revolutionary.
February 27th, 2008 — Disney Princess Culture & Fairy Tales, Media, Marketing and Advertising
The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media works with entertainment creators and companies, educates the next generation of content-creators, and informs the public about the need to increase the number of girls and women in media aimed at kids and to reduce stereotyping of both males and females.
From the website: Three years ago, while watching children’s television programs and videos with her then 2-year old daughter, Academy Award winner Geena Davis noticed a remarkable imbalance in the ratio of male to female characters. From that small starting point, Davis went on to raise funds for the largest research project ever undertaken on gender in children’s entertainment (resulting in 4 discrete studies, including one on children’s television).
The research showed that in the top-grossing G-rated films from 1990-2005, there were three male characters for every one female – a statistic that did not improve over time.
The concern was clear:
What message does this send to young children?
According to the study released this month: Not only were there fewer females, but the nature in which the females were depicted was questionable. They were either objectified and sexualized or portrayed as extremely traditional.
Dr. Smith and her team also examined 4000 female film characters and found that two types of females often frequent film: the traditional and the hypersexual. For example, females are over five times as likely as males to be shown in alluring apparel and are roughly three times as likely as males (10.6% vs. 3.4%) to be shown with an unrealistically “ideal” body.
The same problem was shown to exist in television aimed at audiences of children: Females in kids’ fare are almost four times as likely as males to be shown in sexy attire (20.7% vs. 5.4%) and nearly twice as likely as males to be shown with a small waist line (25.6% vs. 14.4%).
Animated females in TV for kids are more likely to be shown in sexually revealing attire than are live action females (24.5% vs. 17.4%). Also, females in animated TV stories for children are more likely to have small waists (36.9% vs. 6.9%) and have an unrealistic body shape (22.7% vs. 1.2%) than are females in live action TV stories for children.
Though, females are not the only ones hypersexualized in TV
content for children, the report noted. Animated males are more likely than live action males to have a large chest (15.4% vs. 4.9%), small waist (18.4% vs. 4.3%), and an unrealistically muscularized physique (12.5% vs. .5%).
At the Institute’s recent conference in January it was noted that such hypersexualization of children’s characters contributes to low self esteem, poor body image and eating disorders in children.
For more detailed information you can read An Analysis of Popular Films and TV.
According to the report: In fact, research on television reveals that the participation of women writers and producers increases the percentage of females on screen.
What can You do? The Institute is having a contest called “I Want to See Jane!” The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media doesn’t want any Jane to grow up believing she is only worthy of sidekick status. That’s where our I Want to See Jane Campaign for girls and women comes in. YOU can be involved by spreading the word and telling your story, and your story could end up in the first GDIGM documentary!
It’s easy! Just tape yourself talking about the female character who meant the most to you when you were growing up.
February 26th, 2008 — Disney Princess Culture & Fairy Tales
Thank goodness our daughters can expect somewhat better treatment from future employers than this: 1943 Guide to Hiring Women posted by Contrariwise Ramblings.
It should be noted though that we’re not out of the woods yet, as just the other day I heard a female county employee say she was having a difficult time finding a suitable secretary who was not of childbearing age. I know it’s illegal, but you know they can be so undependable, she noted. The irony was the at the woman herself was of childbearing age.
Hello?
Back to the article, my favorite excerpts include that young married women are more responsible than their unwed sisters and less flirtatious, “Husky” girls (apparently their euphemism for fat) are more friendly and outgoing than under-weight women, employers were encouraging to perform gynecological physical examinations to avoid “feminine ailments”, and to give girls breaks to apply more lipstick and fix their hair.
Is it any wonder that laws about gender discrimination are necessary?
February 25th, 2008 — Reviews & Giveaways
I’m thrilled to award a copy of Eckhart Tolle’s book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose (Oprah’s Book Club, Selection 61)
But, don’t go anywhere if you didn’t win this copy. I’m excited to announce that I’ve been invited by Oprah’s staff to lead a community discussion of the book simultaneously with the online course. I invite you to hang out and participate in the discussion here on The Girl Revolution.
A landmark interactive spiritual event is on the horizon. Starting Monday, March 3rd, Oprah Winfrey and best selling author and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle will team up to teach a live weekly webcast centered around Mr. Tolle’s book “A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose (Oprah’s Book Club, Selection 61)
The course lasts 10 weeks, and will be live each Monday at 8pm CST. Each week will cover one of the 10 chapters in the book, with the discussion on our site following the same topic.
I am thrilled to say we will be participating in this breakthrough interactive event. Join us as we discuss the book, the Web Event, and spiritual journey itself. Sign up is free at oprah.com/anewearth. Following the Monday March 3 launch webcast, we’ll start to discuss Eckhart Tolle’s ‘A New Earth’ right here.
Be sure to add me to your RSS feed and to the right you’ll see a place to subscribe via email.
I’ve finished A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose (Oprah’s Book Club, Selection 61)
