Maturing and menstruating with the media

For girls, growing up in the 21st century means contending with the media from a very young age. Be it Disney princesses or iPhone apps, the media’s influence is seemingly inescapable. But, what about getting your period? How do media messages affect girls’ perception of menstruation? I remember being thoroughly embarrassed as a kid by Continue reading

Croods best ensemble movie since Incredibles. Take your kids!

This piece was originally published by Margot Magowan on her blog, Reel Girl. My three daughters, my niece, my sister, and I LOVED The Croods. From beginning to end, this movie is fantastic. The characters are great and the animation is gorgeous. The Croods is the best ensemble animated movie since The Incredibles, and like Continue reading

Lose hate, not weight: an interview with the absolutely fabulous Virgie Tovar

Last month I attended a couple workshops that were presented by Virgie Tovar, a body image expert and coach. Virgie has also edited the book Hot & Heavy: Fierce Fat Girls on Life, Love, and Fashion. The workshops were awesome and inspiring, leaving me feeling great about myself and wanting to spread the word about how Continue reading

Tide seems to understand that men know how to operate a washing machine

Ok, Tide. Stop sending me conflicting signals. We all know that the vast majority of advertisements for cleaning products like detergents and mops feature women doing all the acts of cleaning and housekeeping. And it’s important to note that it isn’t just women; it’s usually moms. This isn’t just reinforcing the stereotype of women, but Continue reading

In the world of men’s magazine publishing, does honesty count?

Let’s face it: We live in a world where women are objectified left, right, and center. The focal point of this objectification is magazines — those made for both men and women. But that objectification usually runs under the surface, insidiously pointing out our flaws by showing women who are impossibly flawless. Until now. Speaking Continue reading

The reinvention of girl power: new Lara Croft is still a bad-ass, with a new bra

Since Tomb Raider’s debut in 1996, the game’s hero, Lara Croft, has been most every adolescent boy’s dream and every grown woman’s nightmare. Despite her bad-ass moves, Lara’s body—most notably a pair of laughably enormous breasts—has always been overtly objectified and sexualized. But in the most recent iteration of the Tomb Raider franchise, Tomb Raider: Continue reading

Smart girl shares science (and scoops brains) on YouTube

Emily Graslie is into dead things, and she’s not afraid to talk about it. Emily is the Volunteer Curatorial Assistant at the Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum at the University of Montana. She shares her knowledge of and passion for taxidermy, natural history, and animal specimen preparation (dead things) with me and other viewers worldwide Continue reading

Pinning for a better you: What’s your Pinspiration?

Isn’t Pinterest great? It’s one of the fastest growing social networks in America. For many people, it is literally their life. They gather recipes, projects, articles, and other informational websites together in an easy to navigate and organized package. It is a place to learn, gain talents, and be entertained. However, there is a trend that Continue reading

Why can’t we stop talking about Kim Kardashian’s pregnancy weight gain?

It can’t be easy being Kim Kardashian. First, there’s her mom. Then there’s the whole world scrutinizing her pregnant body daily—and using it as an opportunity to engage in more blatant body snarking and policing than I’ve seen in a while. Despite the fact that Kim is in the early stages of her pregnancy and Continue reading

Girls suck at math and boys shouldn’t wear princess crowns

Gendered advertising sucks. Seriously. Just last weekend, I was in the grocery store with my partner when we stumbled upon some energy drinks marketed specifically toward women, called Her, which were so uniquely (sarcasm) colored bright pink. Because apparently, all other energy drinks weren’t “feminine” enough, we needed one just for women. Just like we need Continue reading