Media Literacy Week: Wait, That Actress is HOW Old?

Oct. 27, 2016 On the cusp of Media Literacy Week, Oct. 31-Nov. 4, 2016 I'm turning over the mic (er, keyboard) to MediaGirls as part of our Media Literacy Week series on creating critical thinkers in and out of the classroom. What happens when the portrayal of teens, usually played by 20-somethings, lands on real life adolescents in the form of body image angst? What media … [Read more...]

Powered by Girl: Tips For Working in Tandem with Youth

Sept. 14, 2016 Warning! This book may fly in the face of how you’re working with young people, and jolt you into an awareness from which you may never see yourself or your work in the same way again. Part “how-to” guide for intergenerational relationships, and part media literacy peeking behind the stagecrafting of today’s journalism narratives, the case studies have … [Read more...]

Talk to Jess-White House Event On Gender, Media + Toys

April 20, 2016 As a staunch critic of the toy industry’s complicity in marketing vapid values and gender stereotypes that can limit instead of expand kid’s brain plasticity, it’s no surprise that I raised eyebrows with newfound HOPE seeing that the White House convened a one-day session on “Breaking Down Gender Stereotypes in Media and Toys” blending a wide array of … [Read more...]

Supergirl’s Adoption Lens: Swooping Past Stereotypes

April 14, 2016 Most know Superman and Supergirl are adopted, along with Peter Parker as Spiderman, Dick Grayson as Robin, and heck even Bamm Bamm Rubble from the Flintstones...but all too often in media, characters depicted as adopted get the ‘cartoon’ treatment even when they’re not cartoons. From language used in journalism coverage, to controversial  Avengers punchlines in … [Read more...]

Strong Is The New Pretty: Interview with Kate T. Parker

April 30, 2015 Adamant as I am about shifting appearance cues in the media towards a "whole person" lens, it's no surprise I was thrilled to hear photographer Kate T. Parker's catchphrase, "Strong is the new pretty" was not only commanding my own teen daughter's attention on Instagram, or that of my colleagues in our Brave Girls Alliance,  but that her hit photo series was … [Read more...]