Rosalind Wiseman's Blog, page 54

Was Sending Him the Picture a Mistake?

Rosalind Wiseman offers some advice to Jessie, a 16-year old girl who recently sent a picture of herself in her bra to a boy she likes.  Jessie's worried that the guy doesn't like her anymore because ever since she sent him the picture, he hasn't been flirting with her or responding to her texts.  Was sending him the picture a mistake?

Burton's New "Alice" is the Heroine We've Been Waiting For

Teachers, if you're looking for a great field trip to close out the school year, go see Alice in Wonderland.  I saw it last Friday (what better way to celebrate my birthday) and fell in love with the inspiring female protagonist in the latest adaptation of the classic Lewis Carroll tale.

This version – brought to life by the fantastically quirky director Tim Burton – is actually more a sequel to the original. Alice is now a 19-year-old in Victorian London, being pushed into marriage by her...

Rosalind Wiseman on PBS' To the Contrary

To the Contrary is a PBS news program featuring an all-female staff of broadcast journalists, experts, and specialists.  The show covers a broad range of news stories, but focuses most often on issues and topics that affect or concern women and families.

On this episode, the host Bonnie Erbe speaks on Rosalind's book Queen Bees and Wannabees, and how much teenage girls' interactions have changed in the new realms created by social media. Addressing  issues such as teenage privacy, sexting, ...

Is Hooking Up Good for Girls?

As a relationship advice columnist for Teen Vogue, I get a lot of mail from girls in "no strings attached" relationships. The girls describe themselves as "kind of" with a guy, "sort of" seeing him, or "hanging out" with him. The guy may be noncommittal, or worse, in another no-strings relationship. In the meantime, the girls have "fallen" for him or plead with me for advice on how to make him come around and be a real boyfriend.

These letters worry me. They signify a growing trend in girls' s...

My Son Hates Our New Life!

Rosalind Wiseman answers a question from Jill, whose family was forced to move 3 hours away from their hometown when her husband found a new job. While her daughter went off to college somewhat unaffected by the move, her 14-year-old son is having a harder time adjusting, and misses his life in their old town. How can Jill help her son be happy with their new life?

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2010: "It's Time to Talk About It"

More women suffer from anorexia and bulimia than breast cancer. Eating disorders (ED's) affect women, men, and children of all races and ages and have the highest mortality rate of any other mental illness.



The beginning of the end

From a very young age my father criticized every woman who was not model thin. From their weight, to their clothes, to their restaurant meal choice, nothing was off limits. I recall his comments and disgust with uncanny clarity. My mother made disparaging...

Should I Tell Her I Love Her?

Rosalind Wiseman offers some advice to Scott, a teenager who met the girl of his dreams while on a trip. Scott wants to tell his new friend how strongly he feels about her, but she lives in another state, and he wants to share his feelings face-to-face. He's worried that if the feelings aren't mutual it will ruin their friendship. Should he tell her how he really feels?

Weighty Issues: A Q&A on Body Image and Eating Disorders

Sunday will mark the beginning of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, an initiative by the National Eating Disorder Association to help educate all of us about the causes, dangers, and prevention of eating disorders. This year, Rosalind was invited to keynote the kickoff event at the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt in Baltimore on Sunday, February 21 with a presentation on "Positive Parenting for a Healthy Self Image: Helping Children Develop Social Competence and Body...

My Daughter's Classmate is a Tattletale!

Rosalind Wiseman answers a question from Karen, whose daughter's classmate is constantly inventing tales of bullying to get sympathy from her teachers. The student seems sweet, but Karen fears she is manipulating the other students and teachers in the class. How can Karen protect her daughter from this "storyteller"?

Analyzing F. Scott Fitzgerald's Mean Girls

During my last trip to the Westminster School in Atlanta, I promised the faculty that I would find examples in literature to use as a springboard for discussion topics on relational aggression, bullying and social justice. So I'd like to present my first submission in the form of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "Bernice Bobs Her Hair".

In sum, the plot involves Bernice, an eighteen-year-old girl who visits her charismatic and relationally aggressive cousin, Marjorie. I don't know if you've e...