I was convinced Brave was Disney’s reinvention. Merida was spunky, independent, and *gasp* looked like a normal girl. Yes, many of those qualities carry over to Princess Anna in Frozen, but Princess Elsa, her sister, is unfortunately a nod back to the quintessential dainty blondes such as Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Her hair is too perfectly… Continue Reading →
Special K misses the mark… again
Recently Special K launched a new marketing campaign to “Shhhhut Down Fat Talk” that’s a “barrier to managing (women’s) weight”. While creating a discussion around stopping fat talk and using their access to a great number of people is a great idea, they totally missed the mark in the follow through. Their goal is still to sell us… Continue Reading →
Down with the Victoria’s Secret “Fashion Show”
At About-Face, we are boycotting the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which airs tonight on CBS. We’re joining in with the awesome women at Beauty Redefined, who are starting the boycott. Here’s something I still find kind of embarrassing: Victoria’s Secret was a key ingredient in the damaging of my body image as a teenager. I… Continue Reading →
Beautiful blemishes: scars as signs of strength and beauty
As a person who has had several surgeries and other conditions that have left me with scars on my body, I was pondering why society has programmed us to feel ashamed of our scars and told us that we need to “fix” them. The conclusion I reached? We have been programmed to see any scar… Continue Reading →
Catching Fire: The odds are in women’s favor
Katy Perry will always be my number-one woman crush, but Jennifer Lawrence comes in a very close second, especially in her latest role as Katniss Everdeen in Catching Fire. Talk about girl power! Katniss is even fiercer this time, representing District 12 and fighting against the evil Capitol. This movie far exceeds the criteria needed… Continue Reading →
Smashing gender roles, one toy box at a time
When was the last time you were in a store that sells toys? You can always tell when you get to the “girls’ section,” because everything – everything – is pink, purple, frilly, and princessy. I don’t know about you, but I always found the narrowness of girls’ toys insulting. I’m not against playing princess… Continue Reading →
Pink is a refreshing antithesis to the sexualized pop star
Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend a concert on Pink’s “The Truth About Love” world tour. For a few years now, listening to Pink has been my “guilty pleasure.” I never really wanted to admit that I loved her, because my musical tastes are not usually so mainstream. But, I’ve come to really enjoy… Continue Reading →
Why the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in the Media rules
Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis (of Thelma and Louise and Beetlejuice fame) founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in the Media to advocate for diverse portrayals and equal representation of female characters in the media. The Institute and its program, See Jane, promote gender equality in media representation through research, education, and advocacy. The… Continue Reading →
Biased blox: the real heroes of the gendered toy war
Recently, the internet has blown up in praise of GoldieBlox — a construction toy designed to improve spatial skills and encourage a different kind of play in girls. Why is such a toy necessary? According to the Kickstarter page that made the project possible, only 11% of engineers are women and according to a study… Continue Reading →