Entries Tagged 'Reviews & Giveaways' ↓

Red: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Todayis a compilation of essays by girls about their lives.

“Its high time people stopped writing, talking and worrying about teenage girls and just let those girls speak for themselves. This book gives voice to many talented young essayists, who . . . richly deserve to be heard.” – Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia says on the back of this book.

To which I might point out that it’s super-easy not to worry about girls when you’re not responsible for any of them. But, I love Elizabeth Gilbert and I agree, girls do richly deserve to be heard. Reading some of these essays, I did have this thought, why are girls so angsty? Then I answered myself, “because some genuinely sucky things happen to them.”

The Impostor’s Daughter: A True Memoir was sent to me. I was busily doing the mom thing and set it aside to look at later. Next thing I know, I look over and see my 3-year-old son is coloring cartoon drawings of a naked girl.

We don’t draw in books, I told him and put it on a higher shelf.

The next day another book showed up.

I want to see the naked girl, he said. I showed him. What is the big deal anyway? He also likes to see the naked mommy holding a naked baby in a skin product ad in O Magazine. I like to see them too. Bodies are interesting and pretty.

I must admit that my reaction might have been more relaxed than it is when my daughter sees sexual images. I’m not shy about human sexuality with her. I’m just more aware that in the images of our culture the girl is most often the object and I want to protect her identity as a three-dimensional whole and sexual human being.

I very excitedly ordered a book by Pastor Rob Bell titled Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality to this end. I want to know more about the relationship between sex and God. So I can more effectively talk to my kids about it. Also, so I can enjoy it more. Not in a “God’ll send you to hell” ineffective and shaming kind of way. But, in an intimately, orgasmic, hot kind of way. I’ll let you know if this book is worth reading. I suspect it will be.

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My husband and I declared date night and thought it would be an extra-special treat to spring for dinner and a movie. We couldn’t even remember the last time we went to a movie together.

We didn’t have many choices, so I caved to Watchmen. Supposed to be about super-heroes he said. There were girl/women super-heroes so I was interested.

Guess what happens to the girl super-heroes? Violently raped and beaten by one of the a-hole male super-heroes. Another female super-hero was violently raped and beaten and then murdered by pornographers, but “she deserved it because of her whorish-lifestyle.” At least I think that’s what happened, it was cryptic and I had my eyes closed and my ears plugged to avoid ingesting more violent rape of women on-screen.

In fact, most the super-heroes were really violent, angry, mean, cruel, heartless murderer-slash-rapists who dressed up in costume to commit their crimes and yet kept talking about how they were “saving the world.” Huh?

About half-way through the movie one of the super-heroes shoots a Vietnamese woman he impregnated. She asks him to acknowledge his coming child and refuses to disappear so he shoots her in cold blood. Kills his own unborn child and its mother. He’s remorseless.

“This movie should be called ‘Plotless Gratuitous Violence,’” I muttered.

“Want to sneak out and go see Madea?” my husband suggested.

“Yeah, that will be funny and light. It’s PG-13. Tyler Perry’s funny,” I say.

I sit through another preview – ears plugged eyes slammed shut -  so horrifically violent that even my husband closes his eyes so as not to take in a graphically violent depiction of Satan and evil spirits torturing and killing an entire family.

Aside from the pot-smoking uncle and the wanton criminal behavior of Madea it’s almost appropriate for 13-year-olds, you know, if they are 25-year-olds.

Then there I am – plugging my ears and smashing my eyelids together – trying to avoid ingesting yet another very graphic, long violent rape and beating of a woman. Tyler Perry takes 13-year-olds (and the rest of us) through an examination of prostitution, how a smart college girl might end up on the streets, how she might be raped and beaten into submission by a pimp (he shows us how in graphic and horrific, bloody detail). How she’ll need a Pretty Woman moment to save her.

Hysterically funny, really.

There was a 9 or 10-year-old girl, with her family, sitting right in front of us and no one bothered telling her to close her eyes and plug her ears.

I spent nearly the whole “romantic evening” with my eyes closed, shoulders hunched up, and fingernails digging into my ears to avoid taking in and internalizing the atrocities in these movies. Of course, the most violent and horrific of these atrocities were committed against girls and women. But, you know, sometimes they “deserved it” because they were “just whores.”

What the Bleep is going on in the distorted, jumbled, sick and violent minds of film-makers?

How are people watching this kind of graphic violence against women (or humans in general) as entertainment?

How desensitized have we become as human beings?

Hear no evil. See no evil. Speak no evil.

I guess that rules out the movies entirely.

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I’m pleased to introduce Alexis Saint as a Guest Writer on The Girl Revolution. Alexis is a personal friend of mine. She holds a Master of Arts in Counseling and Guidance and is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Intern. She is also the mother of five-year-old Sarah, one of our beautiful Poster Girls in the rotating header.

By Alexis Saint

The four of us were crowded into a public restroom at a high traffic big box store and I was wrangling my three small children, all under 36 inches, up to reach the sink.  Attending to the business at hand which was getting all 40 fingers washed when my oldest son, four at the time, asked if he could have some candy while pointing to the feminine products vending machine.

Having already decided to handle questions pertaining to sexuality in a very matter-of-fact way, I answered that the machine did not have candy in it. It had pads, kind of like small diapers, to catch the no-longer-needed lining of a women’s uterus if there was not a fertilized egg inside of it already.

He seemed satisfied with my answer, but just then a woman came out of one of the stalls with a very embarrassed look on her face, glared at me and made straight for the door, without washing her hands, I might add.  I wondered if starting her period as an adolescent had been somehow bound up with shame, secrecy and fear.

In that moment I decided that my daughter’s period would be a source of honor and celebrated as a benchmark on her path to womanhood.

Although she was only 11 months old at the time, I started a collection of items that I thought would be appropriate for the occasion.  So, in my quest to honor her as a maiden, as a contributing member of the earth’s life force, and as my prepared, informed and confident daughter, I began collecting things in a wooden lock box decorated with pixies.  The box is big enough to encompass the following…

A dream journal…a collection of multi-cultural stories about how menarche is celebrated around the world…letters written to my daughter from my trusted and loving sisters about their feelings/experiences of femininity, menstruation, and growing up…these are to give her sense of the community with all women.

A lunar calendar...to illustrate the harmonious cycle of the earth and the women on it.

Bath salts…tea bags…a candle…a mirror…for alone time to reflect and relax.

A well-written book on female sexuality…for practical education.

A new package of dark colored undies (period panties)…pads and tampons…for self care on the big day.

And finally an OTC pain reliever for cramps..lets be real, cramps and PMS happen.

My hope is that my daughter will grow to revere and embrace her full inheritance as a woman.

In celebration of this special moment in a girl’s life, Marianne Impal, of Red Goddess at www.redgoddess.org has offered to give one Red Goddess Box to a reader of The Girl Revolution.

This Red Goddess Box, which retails for $49.99, includes:

• A Solid Wood Fabricated Keepsake Box
• Lavender Bath Salts
• Celebration Tea
• Comfort Herbal Pillow
• Energy Leg and Foot Rub
• Active Leg and Foot Spritz
• Calming Body Myst
• Pad Purse
• Purse Pats Cleansing Towelettes
• Moon Calendar with stickers
• Positive Picks Inspirational Cards
• Stationery
• Gift Giver’s guide to walk you through what can sometimes be an awkward time in a young girl’s life

LEAVE A COMMENT about how you’ll handle your daughter’s period or a story about how your parents handled it for you and you’re entered to win.

This post is entered in Bloggy Giveaways. This contest will run for 7 days, and shipping to the United States and Canada are accepted. Enter for a chance to win another popular Fit Girl shirt on Blog Fabulous.

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It’s All About The Girl is offering $50 in their gift registry. It’s pretty “girly” in there. They offer some cute bedroom decor, clothes, lunch boxes and school supplies. I’m sure you can find $50 worth of cool stuff for your daughter’s next birthday. Continue reading →

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Mew Paper Arts is offering 3 beautiful sets of notecards. Each set is a different beautiful, unique design by Alissa Sampogna. The insides are blank.

Teach your daughters to write a Thank You note. We can all get better at this . . . but, there are people in a girls’ life who push her forward, build her confidence, give her gifts, teach her something valuable. Teach her gratitude. Continue reading →

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