One only has to Google the word “girl” to realize that the very word we use to identify young females of the human species, our precious daughters, has tragically become a four-letter word synonymous with porn. This tragedy is a result of a consumer culture that says it’s not only okay, but quite profitable, to consume girls.
Finding nothing but degrading images and sick fantasies from simply typing your gender into a search engine can be a bit disheartening. Or how about realizing that after flipping through magazines, watching TV or listening to the radio for an afternoon, your primary purpose in the world seems to be as something to be ogled, admired, grabbed and put on display and in to service?
What's your name? Are you good at math? Do you play a wicked flute? Can you run faster than all the boys in your grade? Who cares, honey!? Just make sure that you have a rockin' bod and a cute boy on your arm in time for swimsuit season.
Above magazine is targeted to ages 12 to 17, BTW. Sigh. Girl Power? I don’t friggin' think so.
But alas, my job is to shine a light in the places were real-deal girl empowerment is more than an idea used by marketers to sell lip gloss and shampoo. You want girl-friendly, you gotta look for it. Here are some good places to start.
The Girl Revolution
Sticker Sisters
What About Our Daughters
New Moon
Girls Can't What?
Shaping Youth
Girl Ambition
Stay tuned for more.
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2 comments:
Being a Mom of two pre-teen girls I can not agree with you more. I have to add one more website to your list. www.girlambition.com
It is "reality web" and fills the gap between club Penguin and Facebook for tween girls. It offers a secure environment with parent approved buddy lists, fun games and quizzes, has it's own "Oprah-esc" magazine, and Dani-girl show which is all about building self-esteem and dealing with real life issues.
It has proven to be a safe place to play and/or communicate with friends while Mom can rest and not worry about what your daughter is doing on-line! Great for summer...I encourage you to check it out. www.girlambition.com
You are so right! Girl Ambition definitely belongs on the list. I did a feature post on them when their site launched:
http://www.reignofthegirlchild.com/2009/01/girl-ambition-is-here-lets-chat-with.html
Certainly worthy of girl-friendly praise. Thanks for the reminder. Slapping my own hand for leaving them off the list!
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