Shaping Youth BETA BLOG

June 29, 2010 As a kids’ health advocate (inside and out) I’ve been covering the “HUGE” conversation pertaining to media’s responsibility and accountability in how the portrayal of being overweight in our appearance-obsessed culture is handled. (Huge: Part One, Part Two)

Now it’s time to weigh in on the policy piece. (I’m not referring to RWJF’s annual “F as in Fat” assessment either; though the interactive is a must-see)

I just finished reading a sound, well-reasoned “action alert” from the EDC (Eating Disorders Coalition) who is working with Congressional representatives to convince the first lady and her Let’s Move campaign to expand the initiative in a huge way by addressing the bigger picture and including eating disorders alongside obesity prevention to convey responsibility in full tilt surround sound. Once again, we’re asking for a ‘first strike’ from the “powers that be” to ‘get it right’ and avoid doing unintentional damage while advocating for healthier bodies…

While we advocate strongly for Let’s Move’s obesity prevention and systemic health improvement, we also know that the heightened focus on weight (and constant media coverage of same) can invariably compound weight-related stigmas with unintentional reverb, including risky weight loss methods and development of eating disorders.

Let’s ensure we don’t have the spotlight shining so brightly on one main outcome while it slingshots to another with secondary reverb…In short, Let’s Move with our media and marketing messages very wisely! Here’s how: (more…)

June 27, 2010 In Part Two of this HUGE conversation (premiering tomorrow on ABC Family, my Part One is here) we’ll try to unpack some of the core questions that SHOULD be top of mind to embrace the media literacy side of the body image, obesity, nutrition and kids’ health dialog.

I’ll start with the universal disclaimer that I am NOT a medico, eating disorder pro or body image specialist of any sort, just a media mama passionista eager to use the power of media for positive change, in any way, shape or form we can ‘get there.’

Aussie body image author Lisa Cox wrote this note in her promo for her new book “Does My Bum Look Big in This Ad?”

…“Poor media literacy amongst youth has been shown to distort body image and potentially lead to a number of serious physical and mental health concerns, including depression, bullying, eating disorders, self-harm and substance abuse…”

While I agree media literacy helps lift the veil of commercial messaging, it’s no panacea for the onslaught of 24/7 appearance-based focus in our distorted cultural fixation. I try to be circumspect about the whole issue and have even asked, “Are we making matters worse with all the body image chatter?” (more…)

June 24, 2010 “An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it.”  —Bill Bernbach

Those timeless words of the venerable ad legend capture the power and potential of HUGE a new series that plops over-sized youth into a weight loss camp amidst a global obesity conversation…(premieres Mon., June 28 on ABC Family)

I’m thrilled mainstream media and Actionist(R) buzz are already forcing people to use their critical thinking skills about how this show could land on people, from healthy mobilization activists and body image pros, to those within the eating disorders community.

Given that every angle is already being covered (see link list at the end) I’m going to unleash the need to reframe the machinations of formula thinking in Hollywood to plausibly turn this endeavor into a HUGE hit.

Rather than dissect what ‘might’ go right or wrong, what if we try to shape the conversation by coming up with some ideas of what we’d ideally like to see Hollywood tackle for productive discourse…What would it take to raise the bar on the quality of TV and maximize the use of media toward positive ends? Call it a conceptual experiment in ‘best practices’…

Hey, it worked for researchers lobbing medical data on AIDS facts into Grey’s Anatomy to influence viewers, why can’t it work for viewers to influence media? (more…)

June 21, 2010 As the summer solstice kicks off, the energy is heating up over the buzz about the SPARK! summit challenging the sexualization of girls and women in media, and advocates are already been asking the ‘who what where when’ questions (alas, the ‘why’ is self-evident, from BabyGaga to daily drek d’jour)

SPARK! Ignites a flame of action bringing together teen girls with media professionals, thought leaders, funders, researchers and activists to serve as a national call to action and campaign for change far beyond ‘talking about it,’ and leaping into policy, research and media literacy activism by and for youth that are smack dab in the crossfire.

So, teens, what should ‘SPARK!’ stand for? I tossed in “Start Portraying All Real Kids” and “Stop Pornification: Ads Ravish Kids.” but I’m not the target market. So have at it. Hardy Girls Healthy Women have posted a voting poll on the acronym so that it resonates for outreach with YOUTH, so now’s your chance to toss out ideas and VOTE.

The event is slated for 10-22-10 at Hunter College limited to half teens, half adults (must be invited or accompanied by youth) and then it will open and scale into the larger virtual sphere with streamed media and ways to participate from afar… (more…)

June 20, 2010 In honor of Father’s Day, we’re interested in deconstructing roles portrayed through mainstream media in the hopes that sensationalized headlines will ‘catch up’ to the reality of new media/new reinventions of manhood to see how they compare and contrast to life’s own “reality shows” in today’s homes.

Examples? Dismissive missives like the Atlantic’s ‘Are Fathers Necessary’ answered by Roland Warren’s response as head of the National Fatherhood Initiative, who countered in print on CNN, “Are Dads Necessary? Ask Kids!” We want to hear YOUR take on media’s representation of YOUR world of fatherhood— knowing full well the values will be as varied and vast as the digital support groups depicting what it means to be a father today…

From fatherhood forums with tips for live-away dads, stepfamilies, military dads, gay dads, blended families, to raising kids with special needs and developmental disabilities, and empowering disabled dads it’s mind-boggling to see that we’ve expanded the global conversation of masculinity yet there’s a media myopia of portrayal of dads.

New media men like Chris Singer of Stay At Home Dad in Lansing (aka Tessa’s Dad, pictured above) are taking the helm to help turn this tanker around and represent the POSITIVE portrayal of men in media that keeps getting buried in the mainstream press or flashed as an ‘awww’ moment soundbite and summarily dismissed. (more…)

June 19, 2010 “Let’s get some things straight before I get old and uncool.” This is Walker Lamond’s ‘dad-to-be’ premise awaiting his son, who arrived shortly after publication…

“Rules for my Unborn Son” is a simple distillation of thoughts to be a ‘good man’ some of which you’ll agree with, others which could merit a ‘meh,’ (submit a rule on the blog) but with media’s portrayals of males as of late, we can use all the guidance we can get.  

A compilation of tidbits and random musings that average about two sentences a page, it’s more gift than book, but that’s part of its beauty, the sheer simplicity of thought.

There are some zingers that linger after you’ve turned the page nodding ‘hmn, so true,’ so I’m featuring it today for a couple of reasons. One, it landed in my mailbox, which means I automatically ‘pass it along’ as my no-perks, nonprofit policy placing it up for grabs and two, his opening intro about ‘rules’ resonated with me from a media analysis perspective… (more…)

June 17, 2010 Digital footprints have taken on a new meaning…

Yesterday I wrote about new baby Noah Silverman and the future of early learning in his media world, today, I’m literally writing about digital fingerprints created via new media art forms, blending traditional art with electronics to scale and expand familial bonds globally. (Springwise shared Tokyo designers Otete & Anyo (shown above, the words “otete” and “anyo” signify a baby’s hand and foot in Japanese)

For all those who roll their eyes at Father’s Day commercialism, just know that the sentimental offerings are getting sweeter (and more pragmatic) in the digital age where custom creations are becoming easier, cooler, and (ahem) less breakable.

From FREE Animoto video trailers and slideshows with text kids can customize in a jiff to look like a photo pro, to Jibjab Father’s Day freebies,  Storybird collaboratives and other personal favorites, there’s no doubt kids can be involved hands-on in keepsake creation. We’ve come a looooong way baby, in preserving memories and milestones whether it’s beautiful Blurb.com custom baby books or new digital one-offs like elementary school’s TreeRing yearbooks to capture the passage of time affordably on a per child basis…It’s easy to see how media and marketing are shifting the way we archive our own permanent collections. (more…)