“Brave Girls Want” Marissa Mayer to Lead, Not Follow

Aug. 22, 2013 Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has posed a vast public health problem in the latest edition of Vogue……Literally and figuratively.That can be a good thing if it helps ignite a media conversation on the saturation of sexualization in our culture that epitomizes the objectives of our movement at “Brave Girls Want” to take back media from depictions of women that have … [Read more...]

Josh in a Box: Helpful Advice For Parents of Teens!

Oct. 21, 2009 What if I told you a few of my favorite advice slingers and youth analysis pros aren’t even parents at all? There’s Anastasia Goodstein of Ypulse speaking from the GenX pulpit (ok, her days are numbered; she’s about to go on maternity leave) and Courtney Macavinta of RespectRx...Along with wünderkind GenY entrepreneur and media machine Vanessa Van Petten, … [Read more...]

My Daughter Drank the Kool-Aid: Media Moments in Adolescence

Media's power has an odd way of sneaking up on you at unexpected moments...Remember this one I wrote about preteen body/beauty influence? Well, this weekend, she eagerly tapped into wikipedia and YouTube to get the scoop on how to dye the ends of her long blonde hair with Kool-Aid unsweetened bright red cherry mix in an attempt to 'look like a rocker,' using her own sitting … [Read more...]

Celeb pop culture & media tipping point of toxicity

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Aretha earned it. Lindsay wants it. Paris lacks it. Beyoncé & Britney had it, hit some high notes, then vamped it away.Our media culture is so fraught with ‘trashy party girl’ celebrity coverage and peekaboo wardrobe malfunctions papering the blogosphere, it’s no wonder kids’ behavioral cues are getting fouled up beyond recognition.What goes into kids’ minds … [Read more...]