life as i know it...

The Packaging Girlhood blog has created a list of the best and worst marketing campaigns of 2006. The list focuses on campaigns that are directed towards girls, or ones that girls were very exposed to.

There are so many negative and stereotypical images encompassed in marketing campaigns for girls; it's really disheartening. If you're interested in this topic, the organization See Jane has done some really interesting research on gender portrayals in children's media (for both boys and girls).

And (some of) the nominees are...

WORST

Dora's makeover from explorer to Princess

Bratz dolls, makeup, clothes, TV show, etc.

Dove campaign for real beauty (watch)

Maria Sharapova “I feel Pretty” Nike Ad (watch)

Posted in: body image, fashion and beauty, feminism, kids, videos on January 25, 2007 0 comments    

WTF??
There really are some sick people out there. As if girls don't already see enough images promoting unhealthy thinness...

Spanish authorities have banned an internet site which was about to run a competition for young women suffering from anorexia.
...

The [Porcelain Princesses] competition, which would have run for a fortnight from January 13, offered points to those reducing their calorie intake to a minimum, with starvation rations of 50-150 calories a day worth nine points while "the honour of a podium placing" and a maximum ten points was offered for not eating all day.

Prior to its closure the website said in a disclaimer it advised visitors to "not follow" advice they might read there.

Posted in: body image, fashion and beauty, health on January 10, 2007 0 comments    

This weekend I got an email from Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood which had a link to this year’s TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment) Toy Action Guide: Toys of Value list, released in time for the holidays. While Hubby and I aren't at the stage where we're buying many toys for the baby-to-be yet (although I can't seem to resist books!), I found the list interesting, and I really like that it reinforces the value of non-electronic toys. While every child will have some battery operated toys, I find a lot of the ones on the market (even the so-called 'educational' toys) to be glorified babysitters which don't give kids much human interaction, and don't let them be creative. I'd prefer that my children have more traditional toys that foster imaginative play.

The email I received also linked to an article that talks about the Toys of Value list, and the prevalence of electronic toys on the market today: Kids Don't Get Building Blocks of Learning from High-Tech Play, which made some interesting points:

Contrast [the Toys of Value list] with the Toys ‘R’ Us 2006 Fabulous 15 Best of the Holiday list, which includes only two toys that don’t use batteries or a screen, or with Hasbro’s Something for Everyone 2006 Holiday list, which boasts the return of the Baby Alive Doll, whose updated version requires four batteries so she can ‘‘eat and poop, just like a real baby,’’ and Star Wars Force Action Lightsaber, ‘‘the most authentic lightsaber-playing experience ever,’’ batteries not included. Of the 26 toys included, all but four are electronic or require batteries.
...

Levin and others who study the relationship between toys, play, and development say toys with electronics bypass the process by which young children learn about cause and effect, including cause and effect of the human kind, such as body language and nonverbal clues. The more high-tech toys a child has and the younger he or she is when they’re introduced, the bigger the potential problem. ... "These kinds of toys entice parents ..... but they undermine the process of being an active agent, of being a problem solver," Levin says.
...

"There’s a critical part of the brain thought to be responsible for reading signals and feeling empathy and relating to other people, part of the orbital prefrontal cortex, that develops early on. But it needs input from real-life people," says Healy, author of Your Child’s Growing Mind.

Choose toys that promote:

Dramatic play
Helps children work out their own ideas about their experiences. Provides a powerful way of learning new skills and a sense of mastery. Blocks are a classic toy that children never outgrow. Adding props encourages, inspires, and extends children's play. Props have the ability to help children recreate real life experiences as well as invent imaginary ones.

Manipulative play with small play objects
Develops small muscle control and eye-hand coordination. Teaches about relationships between objects, essential for understanding math and science. Examples: construction sets and toys with interlocking pieces (Lego, Lincoln Logs), puzzles, pegboards, miniature models, parquetry blocks.

Creative arts
Encourages self-expression and the use of symbols, a vital skill for problem solving and literacy. Develops fine motor skills. Examples: poster and finger paints, assortment of blank paper of all sizes and colors, crayons and markers, scissors, glue, recycled materials, stamps, clay, weaving kits.

Physical play
Promotes healthy body awareness and coordination. Provides opportunities for social interaction. Ideas for toy swaps: bikes, scooters and other wheeled toys, climbing structures.

Game playing
Teaches about taking turns, planning strategy, sequencing, rules, and cooperation. Examples: board games like checkers and chess, card games, jacks.


Try to avoid toys that:

Exploit parents' desire to be "good parents."
Take advantage of parents by promising to make kids smart by teaching the alphabet or numbers at too young an age. These toys undermine the development of appropriate play.

Turn TV into the controller of play
Toys that plug into TV sets so children interact with the TV screen, turn playtime into “screen time.” Frenzied pace and programmed actions can increase children’s expectation for elaborate bells and whistles and make children observers rather than participants in their own play.

Lure infants and toddlers into the electronic media culture
These toys control and limit play and creativity and get children used to being entertained. Very young children learn best by interacting with people and seeing their effect on real things. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no screen time before age 2.

Make appearance, makeup and sexiness the focus of play
Channel girls into very narrow play scripts where how you look—including being thin and wearing make-up and skimpy clothes—and what you can buy is what matters most. Focus on highly sexy appearance and behavior confuses children.

Heighten gender divisions between boys and girls
Dictate that specific toys and interests are only for boys or only for girls. Encourage rigid gender divisions and stereotyped play. Lead to choosing toys based on gender, not play value of a toy.

Make violent themes the focus of play
Often linked to TV programs, movies, and video games, these toys make violence seem entertaining and fun. Channel children into imitating violent TV scripts and anti-social play that undermines positive lessons caring adults try to teach.

Link non-nutritious food to toys and play
Create an easy market for unhealthy, brand-named foods and their logos and early brand loyalty. Products like these undermine healthy eating and contribute to obesity and eating disorders.

Posted in: baby, body image, holidays, kids, technology on December 11, 2006 4 comments    

September 25: Canadian government cuts 40% (5 million dollars) of Status of Women Canada's administrative budget

October: Women's History Month

October 3: The word "equality" is removed from the Status of Women mandate

October 18: Persons Day

November 25: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

November 29: Conservatives close 12 out of 16 Status of Women regional offices

December 6: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

December 10: International Human Rights Day


Well, it really sucks if you live in the North, a rural area, or anywhere except the 4 cities which will still have regional Status of Women offices after April 1st: Ottawa, Edmonton, Montreal and Moncton. It's not an April Fool's Day joke, unfortunately, just a grim reality.

Offices closed, millions in funding cut, "equality" removed from the SWC's mandate... I hear the government saying that it wants to create programs that treat men and women equally, without preferential treatment for women, but the reality is that no matter how much we'd like to think things are equal, there are still a lot of barriers and prejudice towards women. Less in some areas of the country, more in others, but when Canadian women are on average making only about 71 cents on the (male) dollar, there's surely something wrong, and I don't think that this government is taking the issues seriously. It's not terribly surprising though, considering the way some MPs speak out about their female colleagues. When well-educated, highly paid women are publicly maligned by government officials, what hope is there for single mothers, female immigrants, or women trying to break through the (still existent) glass ceiling?

- - - - -

On an even more progressive note, yesterday Saskboy wrote about about a charming commenter one of his previous blog posts who has declared that breastfeeding in public is "shameful" and "lowerclass".

Posted in: baby, body image, feminism, kids, politics on November 30, 2006 2 comments    

Last week, I wrote about my frustration with the anti-nursing crowd; people who think its disgusting and inappropriate for women to breastfeed in public, and the folks who got streamed up over this Baby Talk magazine cover.

Well, hold onto your hats people, check out the comments after this Nashville Scene blog post, where you'll see some real gems, including comments like:

"I certainly don't [want] anyone nursing their baby next to me. Anyway a lot of these nursers are fat. Decency should trump the need to travel by air and, IMHO, let them drive the van to wherever they are going."

"These 'nurse in' women should stay home and nurse; not run the streets protesting, flying all over the country and talking about their boobs."

Posted in: baby, body image, feminism, kids on November 27, 2006 4 comments    

Updated

I'm loving the blog IzzyMom. She has a couple of great posts up right now, which I heartily agree with. Click on the quotes below to read the full articles:

On "freak dancing" (the latest form of dirty dancing):

"...the kids are not to blame. I mean they have their noses rubbed in sexual imagery from childhood on and then we go and sexualize our little girls and then we give them numerous forms of media that are saturated with sexual content and imagery of the most base variety, as well as all manner of negative gender stereotyping and then when they freak dance, we call foul? What the hell did we EXPECT them to turn out like? Nuns and monks? They’re simply products of their environment and you can’t really fault them for that."

Posted in: baby, body image, kids on 1 comments    

We don't have all the facts about this situation, but if the information about her location on the plane is correct, I don't think anyone was justified to compell her to use a blanket while feeding her child, given that breastfeeding is not illegal in that state (and don't get me started on places where it is illegal). Frankly, I don't even think she should have been compelled if she was sitting in an aisle seat, but I understand that some passengers might be uncomfortable and unable to switch seats.

Why do some people still think it's inappropriate for women to breastfeed their children in public?! It's not like they strip down or whip out their breasts for amusement, and you can be discreet without using a blanket to cover yourself up.

Some people are so strangely squeamish, like the people who were outraged at seeing the breastfeeding picture on a Baby Talk magazine cover. People called the photo gross, sexual, and some shredded or hid the magazine for fear that the men in their families would see it. You see more breast watching Fashion File, the red carpet photos at the Oscars, and any number of TV shows. Some people seem incapable of thinking of the breast as anything but a sexual object, even in un-sexy situations.

Some places have nursing rooms for those who choose to use them, but that's optional. Many places don't have comfortable, clean, designated nursing areas, and when that's not available or desired, I don't think a mother should be forced to go to the car to feed her baby, or worse, go to a public restroom. Would you eat in the bathroom? I can't imagine a stranger approaching me to criticize me for how and where I feed my child. Let's hope that when Baby is born I won't have such unpleasant experiences!

It baffles me that 57% of respondents surveyed for the article about the Baby Talk cover don't think that women should have the right to breastfeed in public (!), and people freak out about that beautiful photo, yet seeing a celebrity almost naked on the cover of a magazine is accepted as commonplace.

Strange world we live in. The Baby Talk article examined why women don't nurse longer - is it any wonder?

Technorati tags: baby, breastfeeding

Posted in: baby, body image, feminism, kids on November 17, 2006 13 comments    

Scott from Progressive Bloggers asked me to write a list of 5 things feminism has done for me. For those of you who haven't read one of these lists yet, here's the background: Despite having a $13 billion surplus this year, the government has cut $5 million of funding to Status of Women Canada. In response, many Canadian bloggers have been posting lists of '5 things feminism has done for me', to show their support for the goals of the SWC.


Before I begin, I'll say that although I support women's rights and equality for all, I've never really considered myself a 'feminist'. I'm not quite sure why.. perhaps it's because today feminism almost seems to have become a dirty word. It seems like a lot of people associate feminists with radical man-haters, although that's certainly not a universal trait. But, while I may not agree with every stance of feminist groups, I value the changes that women's groups have made in our society, and many of those that they continue to lobby for.


5 Things Feminism Has Done For Me

1. It has made me realize, from a young age, that women can do anything.
Women can be politicians, scientists, astronauts and firefighters, and they can do their jobs as well as men. We need not be forced into predetermined gender stereotypes.

2. It has made me realize that while women can do anything, we don't have to do everything.
We can be anything we want, but we don't need to force ourselves to try to be superwomen. To me, feminism is about recognizing your options, and making the choices that work best for you. Someone who is a stay at home mom isn't necessarily less of a feminist than the CEO of a large company. We all advocate in our own, different ways.

3. It has made me expect to be judged on my merits, not only my looks.
Realistically, almost everyone is judged on their looks these days - men included. But I'm happy to see that most women no longer expect to get (or not get) a job because of the way they look. They expect employers to read their resume and evaluate their relevant skills. Thankfully, in many professions, employers do that.

4. It has made me proud to live in a society where I have the freedom to speak my mind, regardless of my gender.
I have the right to vote, debate in a public forum, enter politics, and challenge my husband or father if I think they're wrong. I need not keep quiet because of my gender.

5. It has shown me that while we like to think that we live in an equal society, we still have far to go, and must continue working.
The funding cuts to the Status of Women Canada are a big one here, but two big (personal) moments of enlightenment for me were firm interviews, and also hearing young, well educated male university classmates scoff at the idea of pay equity. We still have far to go to reach equality in practice, and in people's minds and hearts.


Wikipedia entry for feminism

Over at Progressive Bloggers, they're suggesting that everyone who writes a list should 'tag' 5 other (male or female) bloggers to see if they're willing to participate. I'd like to invite Apartment Girl, Vickyth, Becky, helmut, and Heather.

Thanks to Politics & Poetry for the link to Status Report.

Technorati tags: feminism, politics, feminist, human rights, equality, Canada, women,

Posted in: body image, equality, feminism, law, meme, politics on October 23, 2006 3 comments    

So the pageant moms have come out swinging.

A month after I posted about child beauty pageants, I've had a ton of visits to the post, several... um... interesting comments, and lots of visits to my personal website.

Sorry folks, I still don't buy the argument that the wigs, fake teeth and spray-on tans that some toddlers wear in pageants are like equipment for sports.

The photos, along with dozens more, were on the Total Nockouts website until the discussion on Suburban Turmoil got too hot to handle (link, link, link, link and link). I'm hardly exploiting those kids by posting their public glamour shots on my blog (with limited readership, I might add) to make a point about letting children be children.

Of course most of the girls will say that they like pageants. A 4 year old child just wants to make their parents happy, even if it means smiling on cue and wearing a wig and makeup (but it's worth noting that there are also ones who cry and don't want to perform on stage).

So many girls have body image and self esteem issues. In my opinion, girls in our society are sexualized way too young, and I don't think child pageants help the problem.

Charming Belles

National winners (some of them are so young that they have to be held by their mothers in the group photo!)

Part 1 of the documentary Living Dolls:



(Link - in case the player doesn't work for you)