I Am Elemental: Superheroes Strike A Pitch Perfect Toy Tenor

May 11, 2015 With superheroes crushing box office numbers with Hulk style force and toy merchandisers frantically scrambling to address market demand for sheroes deleted from mass media like an invisibly evil comic book spell, hashtags like #IncludeTheGirls are trumpeting a Herculean reminder that the new era of girls dubbed “Generation K” for Katniss will NOT be dissed and … [Read more...]

Archery: Using Media To Get Kids Outside, Into STEM, and More

Aug. 20, 2016 Update Adding this report on the acceleration of archery as a sport for young girls, from the resource rich data gleaned from the fabulous Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. Also loved how STEM and physics entered into the 2016 Rio Olympics special interest stories, even the sponsored ones like the science of swimming via Twitter hashtag … [Read more...]

Take Back Halloween: Debunking the Mythology of Market Demand

Update Oct. 22, 2016 Check out the new 2016 Take Back Halloween Costume Contest! (deadline to enter  11-6-16) And...in case any hipster parents are mumbling "what's the harm it's 2016, lighten up, people" I'm adding this "What about the boys" reminder which is wince-worthy realizing I've been covering this topic for so long, and this  study on sexualized body image and … [Read more...]

Brave Girls Want: Change. That’s Not Merida, Disney. Be Brave and Fix It

June 11, 2013 Update: Brave Girls Want.com is now live! Use the hashtag #BraveGirlsWant on Twitter and “like” the new Facebook site to add your voice and views on the impact of media and marketing messaging so we can all help corporations envision (and create!) a healthier worldview for girls. From the new Brave Girls Want.com site positioning statement: “We are here to ask … [Read more...]

A Mighty Girl: Healthier Media Messaging, One Click Convenience

April 11, 2013 Update: Check out A Mighty Girl pics for Environmental Books and movies for green kidlit and Earth Day 2013!  Dec. 10, 2012 What to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature “Hey!” and some REAL Christmas cheer! A Mighty Girl  holiday story: I’ve written about rampant sexualization and gendered absurdity narrowing choices in the toy aisle many times … [Read more...]