“Disney Princess Makeover Sparks Outrage: Merida Petition Goes Viral”

Taken from: http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/disney-princess-makeover-sparks-outrage–merida-petition-goes-viral-175251230.html

May 10, 2013

So is turns out that Merida, the rebellious redhead star of Disney’s Pixar film “Brave,” is true princess material after all, and Disney is coronating her as its 11th official princess on Saturday at Walt Disney World to prove it. But wait, there’s a catch.

Turns out that Merida’s only joining the royal lineup after a corporate makeover that’s rendered her skinnier, sexier, and more glamorous than her original spunky, tomboyish self—stripping her, at least in some images, of her trusty bow and arrow, and putting her into the very dress that her character detested in “Brave.” It’s sparked outrage among thousands of mothers for whom Merida offered, finally, an empowering Disney role model for their girls. 

“Merida was the princess that countless girls and their parents were waiting for—a strong, confident, self-rescuing princess ready to set off on her next adventure with her bow at the ready,” reads a Change.org petition, “Keep Merida Brave,” asking Disney to reconsider the character’s redesign. The petition, created Saturday by “A Mighty Girl,” a blog and online girl empowerment marketplace, had already surpassed 50,000 signatures by Friday afternoon. 

“She had a uniqueness that people really loved, so when they took that away, it was a real affront to a lot of people,” Carolyn Danckaert of “A Mighty Girl” told Yahoo! Shine. Danckaert solicited opinions from her Facebook followers before starting the petition, and said she was quickly bombarded with more than 800 comments, “overwhelmingly negative and very passionate.” 

Signers of the petition, who include Peggy Orenstein, author of “Cinderella Ate My Daughter,” object to what they’ve called the sexualizing of Merida’s image, in which the character now appears older, with a tinier waistline, sultrier eyes, a coquettish expression, tamed curls, and more exposed skin peeking out from a bedazzled, off-the-shoulder version of the constricting teal dress she so resented in “Brave.” 

A Disney spokesperson offered the following official statement about the controversy to Yahoo! Shine: “Merida exemplifies what it means to be a Disney Princess through being brave, passionate, and confident and she remains the same strong and determined Merida from the movie whose inner qualities have inspired moms and daughters around the world.”  

But the makeover—put in place, at least in part, to lend Merida more easily to product designs, according to a report in “Inside the Magic,” which covers Disney news—was still inspiring impassioned criticism at a rapid clip as of Friday. 

“My little girl has unruly curls, wants to climb trees, run with wind, and challenge stereotypes everyday AND she is only 4 years old,” writes one petition signer, Kerri Gaskin of Canada. “How can I possibly tell her that her favorite character has given in and given up to become an overly sexualized pin-up version of her former self?” 

Other signers call the new Merida “arm candy,” “unrealistic,” “vacant looking,” “too sexy,” and “vapid.” 

“Merida was the anti-princess for all of us who don’t wear makeup, let our hair rampage free, and prefer to wear real clothes that let us hike, climb mountains, and ride horses,” wrote petition signer Kris Dorman of Utah. “Please allow Merida to remain the fiercely confident young woman who doesn’t need glitter or skin to know she is of incredible strength and worth.”

Orenstein wrote about the redesign on her blog with a tone of resigned disgust, noting that, “in the end, it wasn’t about being brave after all. It was about being pretty.” She continued, “I’ve always said that it’s not about the movies. It’s about the bait-and-switch that happens in the merchandise, and the way the characters have evolved and proliferated off-screen. Maybe the problem is partly that these characters are designed in Hollywood, where real women are altering their appearance so regularly that animators, and certainly studio execs, think it’s normal.”

For the parents who say that Merida is “only a cartoon,” asking, “Why does it matter?” Danckaert says, “It’s sending a message,” which is one that puts forth a very narrow definition of beauty. “This is how children pick up cultural messages about what is important,” she adds. “Young children don’t really distinguish between reality and fantasy, and these characters are their role models.”

“Treds Tire and Wheel, All Girls Tire Shop, Sticks It To Pep Boys”

Taken from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/13/treds-tire-and-wheel-all-girls-shop_n_1882294.html

September 13, 2012

At Treds Tire and Wheel in San Antonio, Texas, there’s a certain irony that Pep Boys is just across the street. Not because it’s a small business thriving in the shadow of a chain store, but because Treds Tire and Wheel is run entirely by women.

“I’m a strong believer that women can do things that men can do,” manager Andrea Rodriguez, 19, told ABC News. “I have four brothers so I was raised with that mentality. I can do things that my brothers could do.”

The way Rodriguez sees it, it doesn’t matter what color the tire jack is (pink) or if the tools look different (they have polka dots). The girls-only garage does great work either way.

“We are definitely going to get the job done right. Just because we are girls doesn’t mean we don’t know anything. We definitely know.” Andrea said to KSAT.

So far, the shop’s male competition doesn’t seemed to mind, though the ladies believe their friendliness has more to do with the view than anything else. “They flirt, but I keep it all professional,” said Erica Hinkle, a mechanic at the shop.

Andrea’s mom bought the property some months ago planning to put in a tire shop. Several previous tire shops in the location had failed before, but the ladies say business has been steady so far, reports the Daily Mail. Andrea came up with the idea of a female-run auto shop, and says finding employees was a snap.

The shop currently employees six women full time, and one intern.

Treds Tire and Wheel isn’t the only business looking to benefit from appealing to female sensibilities. Bic Pens made a dubious move for womens’ wallets earlier this year when the company released a ”For Her” stylized pen. The product earned more than a few hilariously satirical reviews on Amazon, but last we checked, Bic is still pushing the idea.

“NBC News Launches Hispanic Website NBC Latino”

Bravo to NBC for not naming its latest endeavor “NBCHispanic.”

Taken from: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nbc-news-hispanic-website-nbclatino-344138

July 2, 2012

NBC News is expanding its Hispanic-oriented content with a new English-language website.

NBCLatino.com, launching Monday, features original reporting while culling news and lifestyle content from the company’s existing properties — including Today and Nightly News and sister networks MSNBC and Telemundo.

“It’s important for NBC News to look for growth opportunities outside of broadcast news, and to continue to develop these targeted ventures that help us reach new audiences and are also a natural extension of how we operate,” said NBC News President Steve Capus. “We see NBC Latino as a huge advantage to the overall news network because of our ability to tap into and share their story pipeline with our other programs and properties.”

Serving as executive editor of NBC Latino is Chris Peña. He’ll work with a roster of bilingual writers and producers from NBC News’ New York headquarters, coordinating special reports from existing NBC News personalities such as Natalie Morales, Tom Llamas, Gabe Gutierrez and Miguel Almaguer.

“The goal of NBC Latino is to take Hispanic news beyond the usual conversation, toward something more inspired, empowered and energized; to tell and reflect the Hispanic-American story with authentic voices, and make NBC the brand of choice for Hispanics across mobile, online and TV,” said Peña.

NBC previously launched targeted news website theGrio.com, which focuses on video content for African American readers, in 2009.

Disney’s (Not-So) Hidden Messages for Girls

Thanks George Takei for posting this!

“This may be where it starts for little girls. Parents, think about the messages your children receive.”

“Mother’s Inspiring Video About Blind Baby Son”

Taken from: http://news.yahoo.com/mothers-inspiring-video-blind-baby-son-173140041–abc-news-parenting.html

May 12, 2012

Lacey Buchanan never dreamed that a Youtube video she created about her blind baby boy and his rare cleft palate condition would spread virally, racking up some 7 million views and delivering hundreds of personal messages of support to her Facebook and email inboxes.

In the seven-minute video, which she made using her iPhone, the 25-year-old mother from Woodbury, Tenn., describes the triumph of witnessing 14-month-old Christian’s giggles in the face of the constant stares and whispers they encounter in public when strangers see her baby.

He was born with an an extremely rare condition called Tessier cleft, which means that he was unable to fully close his mouth, and that his eyes are also clefted such that they never even formed.

Buchanan, who works at a day care center and also attends the Nashville School of Law, said she made the video about their struggle because she wanted her son “to grow up knowing he’s important, knowing he has value, despite the way that he looks,” Buchanan said. ”I never thought it would be as big as it has gotten, but I’m thrilled that Christian is becoming a face and a voice for this, that beauty is so much deeper than what you look like,” she said.

Her own video was inspiredby a film made by a woman named Lizzie, who tells the story of how her disfigured face, caused by a rare, unnamed medical condition, led classmates to call her “the world’s ugliest woman.”

In the video, Buchanan faces the camera while holding Christian to her chest without revealing his face, the boy’s tousled blond hair the same shade as hers. Her expressive face turns from beaming to tearful as she wordlessly holds up signs and photos to the camera, describing how thrilled she and her husband were to learn of her pregnancy, the difficult news that their unborn son would have a cleft palate, and their joy that he was born alive, since doctors worried that his internal organs wouldn’t be fully formed and that he wouldn’t be able to breathe properly on his own.

But the road ahead was hard. While Christian’s internal organs were completely normal, he was born without eyes, and underwent surgery on his cleft palate when he was just four days old, spending four weeks recovering in the neonatal intensive care unit at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. It took the hospital two months just to give his rare condition a name, Buchanan said, and the couple discovered that only about 50 other people in the world had the same diagnosis of Tessier cleft.

Buchanan and her husband had no idea how to care for a blind baby — and in particular, they weren’t prepared for how people would stare at him. ”The first time I went to the grocery store, I didn’t expect to leave crying because people were whispering behind my back,” she said. “It was something I had to try to get used to.” Children would ask their mothers “what was wrong with ‘that baby,’” and one acquaintance even cruelly messaged Buchanan on Facebook to tell her she was a “horrible person” for not aborting Christian.

Despite the negative attention, the Buchanans received ample support from friends and family, and from their local Baptist church, which has held multiple fundraisers for Christian’s medical care and constantly checks in with the couple to inquire how their son is doing.

And, as Buchanan describes in her video, Christian grew into a happy baby who, in the face of strangers’ comments, “would start giggling … and they would giggle, too,” which eventually spurred an outpouring of messages to her family on Facebook, and well-wishes in public from people who recognized them after hearing about their story.

Only at the end of the video does she turn Christian around to reveal his face to the camera, and she lovingly kisses his cheek while he sucks on a pacifier (which he is now able to do because of surgeries on his cleft palate).

She posted the video two months ago, and it has since generated nearly 7 million views and 1.8 million Facebook “likes” after an inspired fan reposted it on the Christian video site GodVine.

Because of the attention, Buchanan has connected with three other people who have Tessier cleft — two adults and the parent of another — and she said the support has been life changing. ”I try to make the best decisions I can for Christian, especially medically, and sometimes I’m put into corners, where whichever decision I make is going to impact Christian’s life,” she said. “Being able to reach out to someone who has lived there [with his condition], it takes a huge burden off me.”

Since making the video, she’s also created a Facebook page for Christian, and receives so many messages of support that she now turns off her iPhone notifications at night so she’s able to sleep.

Buchanan knows Christian faces a much more difficult road ahead of him than a baby born without his condition, but she’s thrilled her video has inspired so many people. ”When Christian’s old enough, let’s ask him if he’s glad I let him live,” she said. “His laugh is so valuable, at 14 months old, and is making more of a difference than most people ever do.”

“Dear Customer Who Stuck Up For His Little Brother”

I came across this heartwarming story while on George Takei‘s facebook :)

Taken from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristen-wolfe/dear-customer-who-stuck-u_b_1190690.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

January 7, 2012

You thought I didn’t really notice. But I did. I wanted to high-five you.

Yesterday I had a pair of brothers in my store. One was maybe between 15 and 17. He was a wrestler at the local high school. Kind of tall, stocky and handsome. He had a younger brother, who was maybe about 10 to 12 years old. The only way to describe him was scrawny, neat, and very clean for a boy his age. They were talking about finding a game for the younger one, and he was absolutely insisting it be one with a female character. I don’t know how many of y’all play games, but that isn’t exactly easy. Eventually, I helped the brothers pick a game called “Mirror’s Edge.” The youngest was pretty excited about the game, and then he specifically asked me, “Do you have any girl color controllers?” I directed him to the only colored controllers we have, which include pink and purple ones. He grabbed the purple one, and informed me purple was his FAVORITE.

The boys had been taking awhile, so their father eventually came in. He saw the game, and the controller, and started in on the youngest about how he needs to pick something different. Something more manly. Something with guns and fighting, and certainly not a purple controller. He tried to convince him to get the new Zombie game “Dead Island” and the little boy just stood there repeating, “Dad, this is what I want, OK?” Eventually it turned into a full-blown argument complete with Dad threatening to whoop his son if he didn’t choose different items.

That’s when big brother stepped in. He said to his dad, “It’s my money, it’s my gift to him. If it’s what he wants, I’m getting it for him, and if you’re going to hit anyone for it, it’s going to be me.” Dad just gave his oldest son a strong stern stare-down, and then left the store. Little brother was crying quietly. I walked over and ruffled his hair (yes, this happened all in front of me). I said, “I’m a girl, and I like the color blue, and I like shooting games. There’s nothing wrong with what you like. Even if it’s different than what people think you should.” I smiled, he smiled back (my heart melted!). Big brother then leaned down, kissed little brother on the head, and said, “Don’t worry, dude.”

They checked out and left, and all I can think is how awesome big brother is, how sweet little brother is, and how Dad ought to be ashamed for trying to make his son any other way.

“My rapist doesn’t know he’s a rapist…”

“Ruby Veridiano “Black & Yellow” (iLL-Literacy 2004)”

Taken from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ILABhuVr2w

iLL-Literacy’s Ruby Veridiano Ching captures the crowd with her account of the complications of love and race.

“Native American Youth to Diane Sawyer: We’re Not Poverty Porn”

Taken from: http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/12/native_american_youth_to_abcs_diane_sawyer_were_more_than_poverty.html

December 14, 2011

Last month ABC’s 20/20 aired a special they called “Children of the Plains,” that portrayed the Lakota Indian reservation as a place that only dealt with crime, unemployment, alcoholism, overcrowded trailers and crumbling schools.

On Monday, young Native American students from Rosebud, South Dakota released a short video that challenged the claims made by “Children of the plains.” “I know what you probably think of us…we saw the special too. Maybe you saw a picture, or read an article. But we want you to know, we’re more than that…We have so much more than poverty.”

“The stories are manipulative to the point of tears—literally,” wrote Rob Schmidt on Indian Country about the show. “A boy cries because his mother is an alcoholic. A girl cries because she tried to commit suicide. The school principal, an old lady in a motorized chair, cries because her work is so difficult.” Schmidt argues the ABC documentary was little more than poverty porn because it didn’t offer any historical context or the causes of poverty for many Native American reservations. “Are the Lakota responsible for their own plight, or is someone—the government or big business—causing it?,” Schmidt continued.

Sawyer glossed over broken treaties, stolen land and disinvestment by the end of the show, but by then it’s too little, too late. “The ‘poverty porn’ feeling predominates,” Schmidt said.

“Disney unveils Princess Sofia, aimed at toddlers. Why couldn’t she be a mathematician?”

Taken from: http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/12/12/disney-princess-sofia-girls/

December 12, 2011

When I was a young girl, I loved princesses. How could I not? They were gorgeous, sparkly, and talked to small furry animals. But I also loved rock stars (thanks to my gorgeous and sparkly Barbie and the Rockers doll), tiny horses (thanks to my gorgeous and sparkly ponies on My Little Pony), and, for a short period of time, Pee-wee’s Playhouse‘s Miss Yvonne. (Hey, she was sparkly.)

My point is, young girls will love anything covered in pastel hues and sold on a TV screen. So I can’t help but feel a bit dismayed that Disney is banking on the success of a new character aimed at 2- to 7-year-old girls, Princess Sofia. According to the New York Times, Sofia — pictured above — will star in her own TV series, Sofia the First, and film. It’s a character that makes sense within the confines of Disney, a company that owes a large portion of its success to its Princess line, which stretches all the way back to 1937′s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. But it’s also a disturbing character to see grabbing the spotlight in our modern world, which rightly prides itself on bucking gender stereotypes.

Disregard the fact that Sofia looks like a Toddlers & Tiaras beauty queen. Even disregard the fact that this young princess looks caked in more makeup than your typical Beverly Hills Housewife. All of that matters much less than the simple fact that Sofia only continues to sell dangerous, out-of-date gender norms: Young girls should aspire to be beautiful, dependently wealthy, and the object of affection for a future Prince Charming. And, of course, to Disney’s credit, kind-hearted. As Disney Junior Worldwide’s Nancy Kanter told the Times, “What makes a real princess is what’s inside, not what’s outside … We saw girls have an instant relatability to this character.”

That’s what I’m worried about. It was bad enough that young girls of yore hoped to become beautiful Sleeping Beauties waiting for their one, life-saving kiss when they grew up. With Sofia, young girls might hope to become beautiful princesses… right now. The small screen is already overrun by shows like Hannah Montana and iCarly, in which girls live their lives as famous, high-profile figures. Sofia the First will show a girl living her life as a diamond-clad princess. Not only is it an unattainable image for toddlers and young girls — who, let’s face it, should just focus on being kids — but it’s also unnecessary. Yes, girls love princesses. But they’d also love, for example, a young math-loving character who also enjoys wearing a bedazzled top or two.

Believe it or not, it’s not about the princesses. It’s about the packaging. Heck, even the ugliest toys in history, Troll dolls, appealed to young girls through their jewel-encrusted belly buttons. And it’s easy to sell an intelligent non-princess character — we fell in love with Beauty & the Beast‘s impoverished, literature-loving Belle long before she put on that majestic yellow dress. (In fact, as a youngster, I remember thinking the most beautiful thing about Beast was not the dress, but Belle’s library.) Disney simply doesn’t have to rely on its princess-obsessed history to appeal to young girls. What appeals to girls most is being told they can do anything when they grow up, tiara not required. Here’s hoping Sofia takes a page from her more ambitious, awesome cousin over at Nick Jr., Dora the Explorer, and soon learns that brains are the thing that will help you travel far.

Mermaids vs. Whales

Source: unknown. Taken from: facebook

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was “This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?”

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:

“Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness.
They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia.
They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?
They would have no sex life and could not bear children.
Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.
And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I’d rather be a whale.

At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn’t enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.
We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.
Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: “How amazing am I ?! “

7 Billion Actions

Taken from: http://7billionactions.org/

By the close of 2011, the global population will reach 7 billion. A world of 7 billion has implications for sustainability, urbanization, access to health services and youth empowerment. It is also an opportunity to renew global commitment for a healthy and sustainable world. 7 Billion Actions, a global movement for all humanity, was established by the United Nations Population Fund to highlight positive action by individuals and organizations and inspire others to join the movement.

The initiative – Objectives

• Building global awareness around the opportunities and challenges associated with a world of seven billion people.
• Inspiring governments, NGOs, private sector, media, academia and individuals to take actions that will have a socially positive impact.

Themes

• Poverty and inequality;
• Women and girls empowerment;
• Reproductive health and rights;
• Young people;
• Ageing population;
• Environment;
• Urbanization.

 

Half the Sky

“The best way to fight poverty and extremism is to educate and empower women and girls.” – Half the Sky

Half the Sky lays out an agenda for the world’s women and three major abuses: sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor killings and mass rape; maternal mortality, which needlessly claims one woman a minute. We know there are many worthy causes competing for attention in the world. We focus on this one because this kind of oppression feels transcendent – and so does the opportunity. Outsiders can truly make a difference.

So let us be clear up front: We hope to recruit you to join an incipient movement to emancipate women and fight global poverty by unlocking women’s power as economic catalysts. It is a process that transforms bubbly teenage girls from brothel slaves into successful businesswomen. You can help accelerate change if you’ll just open your heart and join in.

You can buy the book, Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl Wudunn, at their website: http://www.halftheskymovement.org/

“25 and under: Next-gen female entrepreneurs”

From a budding domestic doyenne to a Banh Mi food trucker, these eight young women are setting the stage for the next wave of entrepreneurial ventures.

Taken from: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/smallbusiness/1110/gallery.women_entrepreneurs_under_25.fortune/?source=cnn_bin

“Miss Representation” Trailer

Oh the media, an ally in the objectification of women. Love the woman you see in the mirror; embrace her personality, her heart, her body, her spirit. Be yourself, not someone you think you need to be.

http://www.missrepresentation.org/home.html