Rosalind Wiseman's Blog, page 64
August 20, 2009
Oh My Betty!
How did I miss this one? Did you all know about this and not tell me? We are so in a fight.
Turns out "Ugly Betty" is all about girl bullying, and a young woman's struggle to hold on to herself in an environment that is a thinly veiled high school. It's about a Real Girl up against a Perfect Girl world. And there's more than enough material in there for a great conversation between parents and daughters.
Betty is one of the best role models for girls I've ever seen. As her young female colleagues
August 19, 2009
So Sexy So Soon: Where We Are One Year Later
Last month So Sexy So Soon hit the market in paperback, though my hand-signed hardback by academic rockstars Diane Levin, Ph.D. and Jean Kilbourne Ed.D is frayed, highlighted, and worn from full use with youth and parent ed groups ever since its release last year.
I broke bread with these two research pioneers at Susan Linn's house when she hosted all of the presenters at the CCFC summit on Sexualized Childhood last year and felt a bit like 'Odd Girl Out' as Rachel Simmons would say (forthcoming
Brand NEW Queen Bees & Wannabes Launches October 13! Pre-Order Now!
When Rosalind Wiseman first published Queen Bees & Wannabes, it fundamentally changed the way that adults look at girls' friendships and conflicts. From how they choose their best friends, how they express their anger, their boundaries with boys, and their relationships with parents—Wiseman showed how girls of every background are profoundly influenced by their interactions with e
August 18, 2009
The Double Standard That's a Slap in the Face
The Time Traveler's Wife is in theaters now
Last weekend I went to see the new movie The Time Traveler's Wife. While I would love to opine on the character and plot development of the film (or lack thereof), I'll save it for another time and place.
One moment from the film, however, particularly struck me: a scene in which a young Clare (Rachel McAdams) slaps protagonist Henry (Eric Bana) across the cheek. The buff Bana seems hardly phased by the blow, but yet it occurred to me — how would I fee
August 17, 2009
I Can't Stand My Step-Dad!
Rosalind Wiseman answers a question from a 15-year-old girl who does not see eye-to-eye with her new step-dad. How can her family coexist peacefully when she feel doesn't comfortable in her own home?
August 13, 2009
Win a Copy of "The Curse of the Good Girl" by Rachel Simmons!
Just in time for back-to-school, bestselling author and rosalindwiseman.com blogger Rachel Simmons' latest book, The Curse of the Good Girl, is hitting stores on August 25!
About the Book
In The Curse of the Good Girl, bestselling author Rachel Simmons argues that in lionizing the Good Girl we are teaching girls to embrace a version of selfhood that sharply curtails their power and potential. Unerringly nice, polite, modest, and selfless, the Good Girl is a paradigm so narrowly defined that it's u
August 12, 2009
13 Going on 30: Teen Stars and the Race to Grow Up
If you didn't happen to catch the 2009 Teen Choice Awards last weekend, the hot gossip to come out of that event (aside from the fact that Twilight still rules the world) is the controversial ice cream wagon/stripper pole dance that Miley Cyrus did for her hit song "Party in the USA".
One has to wonder how time and time again adult producers of kids shows, teen starlets, and parents of those starlets seem to blatantly disregard the audience for which they're marketing their content and its imager
Parents and Teachers: Relationship Management 101
I recently got an email from a parent at the school where I work thanking me for coaching her daughter through a tough social experience. I was almost embarrassed by how good it made me feel, but then I realized why: it's so rare that parents take the time to acknowledge the good moments these days. Most of the time, we educators, coaches, counselors and administrators only get a call when something is wrong.
Spending the last year as a school employee has shown me, more than ever, why it's so im
August 11, 2009
Oh Boy!
Old school Batman and Robin.
This weekend while helping a friend out with a childcare issue, I had my first glimpse at a generation Y2K9 action figure. It's been a while since I've spent hours on a playroom floor littered with little plastic people, and as the little girl I was with introduced me to Barbie's makeshift "husband" and "grandfather" (G.I. Joe and Batman dolls she had stolen from her brother), I couldn't help but notice that Ken's stand-in's had been hitting the gym a lot harder t
August 6, 2009
"Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas kicked off summer 2009 with the release of yet another insanely popular album entitled "The End: The Energy Never Dies". Its first hit single "Boom Boom Pow" has been somewhere on the iTunes top 10 list since it was released, which means that most likely it's deep bass and electronic melody has crossed your eardrums at some point in the last 10 weeks.
So why are we talking about it? What I like about this song is that it doesn't hit the listener or the viewer of the video over
