There are numerous ways to have an impact on how the media represents women. But sometimes it’s difficult to know where to turn. If you’re like me, you have days when you want to take a baseball bat to your TV, shred every fashion magazine in the supermarket, and go on a spray-painting rampage to… Continue Reading →
Who you callin’ a slut?
By now, you’ve probably heard that last January, a Toronto police officer told students that that they should avoid dressing like sluts in order to prevent being victimized. (Oh, yes he did.) Since then, “SlutWalks” have taken place in over 80 cities worldwide including New York, Boston, Dallas, Melbourne, and London to publicly protest the… Continue Reading →
Australia takes action with the inaugural Positive Body Image Awards
It took two years, but it’s finally here! The Australian Government will be rewarding media, fashion and advertising outlets that promote realistic and natural images, healthy weight models, and a diverse range of body shapes, sizes, and ethnicities. Back in 2009, I wrote about the National Advisory Group on Body Image, a group that included… Continue Reading →
Born This Great: Mission accomplished!
After weeks of preparation, the “Born This Great” action came to fruition! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWk391N1Exk[/youtube] On Saturday at 10 am, the six girls met at the About-Face office, nervous but excited to go out on the streets and make people think about body image and advertising (we missed you, Amy!). After going over the logistics of the… Continue Reading →
SATURDAY: Come support teenagers speaking out for positive body image!
YOU are invited to witness and participate in the latest About-Face Action developed by the teenagers in our Take Action group! It’s called Born This Great. The seven girls in our group are taking to the street to speak out for positive body image and self-esteem in a creative way. They need you… Continue Reading →
Game designer Jane McGonigal shows that gaming can change the world
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Crowdstar’s new mobile game app for girls, Top Girl. I was disheartened that a game targeted at girls and careers only allowed you to aspire to be a model and have a boyfriend. After reading the article, a friend – no doubt trying to cheer me up – directed… Continue Reading →
Take Action week 3: Two Wolves & an Action
Last Wednesday’s meeting started out with a discussion on body image–a difficult topic for anyone, especially for a group of teenage girls in American society. The discussion was lead by Suzannah Neufeld, a wonderful About-Face workshop leader and therapist who frequently works with young women with eating disorders and body image issues. With guidance from… Continue Reading →
Yay Scales and brainstorms: Take Action week two!
This past week was our second About-Face Take Action meeting. We’re continuing to work towards our goal of having this year’s group of girls speak out against harmful media messages that negatively affect the way people look at themselves. b It was great having another opportunity to get to know the girls. We even had… Continue Reading →
Taking action: Our latest teen action group kicks off
You might remember that About-Face runs Take Action groups for teenage girls who want to speak out about media portrayals of women. Well, the time has come again! Last Wednesday, we met the girls in our latest group during our first meeting. Seven girls from the San Francisco Bay Area (Roslynn, Amy, Katherine, Kayla, Jasmine, Daija,… Continue Reading →