When was the last time you were in a store that sells toys? You can always tell when you get to the “girls’ section,” because everything – everything – is pink, purple, frilly, and princessy. I don’t know about you, but I always found the narrowness of girls’ toys insulting. I’m not against playing princess… Continue Reading →
Why the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in the Media rules
Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis (of Thelma and Louise and Beetlejuice fame) founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in the Media to advocate for diverse portrayals and equal representation of female characters in the media. The Institute and its program, See Jane, promote gender equality in media representation through research, education, and advocacy. The… Continue Reading →
The Biggest Loser lures kids
No, they’re not contestants. They won’t participate in weigh-ins and aren’t eligible to win the cash prize for dropping the most weight. Relax, America! The kids to appear on this season’s The Biggest Loser are just being “mentored.” The 14th season that premiered on January 6th featured two 13-year-olds and one 16-year-old. During a Press… Continue Reading →
Ding! The Easy-Bake Oven is finally going to start catering to boys
13-year-old McKenna Pope of Garfield, NJ, wanted something different for her younger brother, Gavyn, who loves to cook. After finding him trying to bake tortillas by placing them on top of a light bulb, McKenna and her parents decided the best present for their budding Mario Batali would be an Easy-Bake Oven. Yet when they… Continue Reading →
Reel Girl’s gallery of girls gone missing from children’s movies in 2012
This article was originally published by Margot Magowan on her blog, Reel Girl. I’ve been avoiding writing this post. I knew that female characters in children’s movies were not faring well in 2012. Not in number and not in stature. But I kept hoping. Hoping that somehow, before January, something would change, a slew of… Continue Reading →