Going on 13 documentary

Hey, girls. Recently, I had the privilege of creating a study guide to accompany the new documentary, Going on 13, which follows four girls from ages 9 - 13. I loved this film because it showed REAL GIRLS. I could watch the film again and again (and I did!) because the girls in it became very dear to me. They reminded me of girls I know: of my younger sister, my cousins, and the many amazing girls I've had the opportunity to work with through New Moon. It was so refreshing to see girls who spoke for themselves onscreen; it made me realize anew just how incredibly limited a portrayal the media usually gives girls.

The directors of Going on 13 would love to see you at one of their upcoming screenings. I'd also love to post your thoughts about the movie on this blog if you do get to see it! (There is some profanity in the film and some mature subject matter, so make sure to talk to your parents about whether it's OK for you to see it.)

The next screenings are:
1) LA Latino Film Festival Sept 13
2) SF Documentary Film Festival some time in Oct 17-30
3) South Asian Film Festival (NYC) Nov?
4) Leeds (UK) Youth Film Festival April 2009

And here's the trailer:

Sony's New Video Game-"Fat Princess!?"

Hey New Moon Girls!

Do any of you like video games? I know I do once in a while, but I find this new one created by Sony too be very offensive.

The game sounds intriguing enough- you and your teammates battle another team in what’s meant to be a comic medieval battle. The goal is to rescue a princess from a dungeon and bring her back safely. Each of the two teams has a princess on either side that needs rescuing. However your enemy, has been stuffing her with pastries, so she gains weight and it’s harder for your army to carry her back across the battlefield. You can do this to your enemy’s princess as well. The princess can grow to be at least twice her usual size (pictured above), and this is why the game is called “Fat Princess.”

Being overweight is unhealthy and can lead to a number of health problems. I feel like Sony is making a joke out of overeating and obesity by creating a game where the object on one side of the team is to force a girl to gain weight and be “too fat” so your opponent will lose. It’s supposed to be “comical” how enlarged the princess can become, yet I don’t think overeating or weight problems is a laughing matter.

Many feminists are upset over the game claiming it “furthers inappropriate gender stereotypes” and continues a culture of ridicule that many obese people have to endure.

James Green, the lead art director for “Fat Princess” asks “Does it make it better or worse that the concept artist (who designed the look, characters, everything) is a girl?”

I feel like it shouldn’t matter whether or not the game was created by a man or a woman, it is still an offensive game either way. Just because a woman created it doesn’t undermine the feminist critiques of it.

What do you girls think about this game? Do you find it offensive? Would you still play it?

Celebrities Defend Their Body Types!

Hey Girl Bloggers!
Did you know that so many photos you see of celebrities and models have been digitally altered by their photographers? Men are shown with larger than life muscles, and women’s breasts are enhanced by a cup or more and thighs and stomachs are trimmed down. Most of the time models and celebrities accept this as the norm and even expect it.

That’s why I found this story very inspirational.

Actress Keira Knightley star of “Atonement” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” has refused to have her breasts digitally enhanced in publicity photos for her new film “Duchess.” She claims she doesn’t need the added cleavage to feel sexy.

In previous movies like 2004’s “King Arthur,” Knightley’s A-cup breasts were enhanced into C-cup breasts, and Knightley admitted the photos had been altered. She still went along with the campaign, but this time four years later she is stepping up! Courtney Martin author of “Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters” thinks, “that's incredibly brave and could have a huge impact on young women."

Martin also claims that "Keira Knightly is essentially giving young women permission to stand up in their communities and their schools and their families and say, 'Look, this is the way I look and it is OK."

Actress Kate Winslet has also spoken out about photo alteration after she appeared on GQ looking much thinner than usual. She openly criticized the picture claiming the size of her thighs were cut down by a third.

Go Kate and Keira for stepping up and defending your bodies!

Girls' math scores=Boys' math scores!

Hey Girl Bloggers!
Have you ever had someone tell you that boys are better than girls at math!? Well guess what! It’s not true, and there are new studies to prove it! These studies are the largest compilation of math scores ever recorded. Researchers looked at yearly math tests required by the No Child Left Behind education law in 2002. In these tests over seven million children’s statistical test score information was reviewed by gender. These tests were collected from ten different states.
After viewing all these different scores and comparing the boys’ to the girls’, researchers found no difference in the scores of girls versus boys in elementary and high school. Twenty years ago studies showed that scores were equal in elementary school, but boys had better math scores than girls in high school.

Some researchers claim that many parents and teachers tend to think boys have better math skills, so then they are the ones who end up in professional science and technology careers. Hopefully this new study changes things and will give more opportunities to girls in these exciting jobs!

What do you think girls?! Do you like the math classes you have in high school? Do any of you want jobs someday where you need to use math skills?
Let’s here your thoughts on this exciting breakthrough!

New Moon Girl Media YouTube Channel!

Hi everyone,

This is Julia, guest blogging to share my excitement about our new New Moon Girl Media YouTube Channel! The first video posted is a trailer for our orb28 blog for teen girls, which shows New Moon girls in action--brainstorming, working together, speaking out, and making their dreams for orb28 into a reality. I am so honored and inspired to work with these girls, and it was quite nostalgic editing the footage from the retreat into this trailer! (I also really enjoy the accompanying song, "Race You Back Home," and am glad indie female songwriter, Elizabeth Ziman let us use it! Check her out with her band, Elizabeth and the Catapult.)


The New Moon Girl Media YouTube channel is also the kick-off to more multi-media-filled days at New Moon. We'd love to receive your videos on why YOU love New Moon! Why do you think New Moon is positively unique? Why is it important in your life and for girls everywhere?You can submit your video to add to the trailer excitement! And we of course welcome your written testimonials of why you value New Moon as well.Please help us spread the word about this video and our YouTube channel by rating, commenting, and sharing the trailer with family and friends. I'm excited to hear your feedback...Thanks!

Check out the video here!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFdV5ZZuoQU)?

The Miss Universe Competition~It's easy to trip in heels!

Hey Girls!
I didn’t watch the 2008 Miss Universe pageant last week, but for those of you who did you most likely saw the infamous trip down the stairs of the U.S. entrant, Crystle Stewart from Texas. What I don’t understand is why there was and still is so much media coverage surrounding the incident. Is it really that terrible that she slipped? Who wouldn’t trip in a tight evening dress and ridiculously high heels? Why is it so important to the competition that women be able to walk in tight clothes and heels? What’s with all the obsessive media coverage?

What’s even more interesting is that nearly the exact same thing happened the previous year in 2007 to the U.S. candidate Rachel Smith. Doesn’t this prove that there is a problem with the type of “attire” which is required to be Miss Universe, Miss America, Miss World or pretty much any pageant winner? It’s dangerous to wear high heels and long tight dresses you could trip over because you could sprain your ankle or worse. Why should this be part of the competition? Also besides evening wear, why is there a swimsuit competition? Should candidates really be required to strut around half naked on stage in front of billions of viewers? Why is looking good in a bikini part of the contest?

What do you girls think about this? Should pageants be changed? Maybe the winner should be picked for their dedication to charities, or their volunteer work, or positive plans for the prize money rather than their ability to smile pretty and walk down stairs in ridiculous shoes. What do you think?

Classic Cartoon Characters Revamped!

Hey Girls!
Have you heard about how some old cartoon characters are being redesigned for the 21st century? The cartoon character Strawberry Shortcake from the 1980s now looks quite different with tighter clothes, longer hair, bigger eyes, and lipstick. She also appears to be older than her past self, and instead of carrying around a calico cat she sports a cell phone. The pictures above show how incredibly different she looks from her 1980s character!

The Care Bears are going to be changed too. American Greetings is going to be putting out a new line of bears this fall which have less belly fat and longer eyelashes. But aren’t teddy bears supposed to have big bellies? Why are they promoting "thinner" bears?

Probably most of you don’t know the character Angelina Ballerina, but if you check out the pictures on the right you’ll notice what a different look she has now then she did in the 1980s. It seems to me that she has slimmed down a lot!

Even the teenage mutant ninja turtles will be changed by their creators, 4Kids Entertainment, so next year they will have bigger muscles in video games.

Walt Disney Company is even planning on changing Mickey Mouse! According to Robert A. Iger, Disney's chief executive, Mikey "needs to evolve to be relevant to new generations of kids."

Corporate owners of these fictional stars seem to think that their characters will sell more if they have an updated look for children of today, but still remind parents of the characters they grew up with. They think it will appeal to parent’s nostalgia to see the characters from old shows they used to watch and lead them to buy the character's products for their children.

What do you think? Will this marketing plan be a success? Was it a good idea to change these classic characters or should corporations have kept them as they were? Are corporations putting too much emphasis on slimness and looks? Let's here your thoughts on this girls!

High Heels for Babies!?

A company called Heelarious has recently come out with a new product-miniature high heeled shoes for baby girls up to six months old. They range in colors from hot pink to leopard print and cost thirty five to forty dollars. The company claims they aren’t actually intended for walking and that the shoe is completely soft, so no harm can come to the baby.

However many people are upset by this new fashion trend and claim that high heels take away a baby’s innocence and promote sexuality at far too young an age. They think babies shouldn’t be dressed like teenagers or adult women. Also some people worry that the pointed toe on the shoe could cramp a baby’s growing foot.

On the packaging the slogan “her first high heels is printed.” I personally find this rather disturbing because of all the health problems heels can cause in the future with extended use. High heeled shoes place your feet and legs into unnatural positions and inflame and aggravate your Achilles tendon. Also high heels cause numerous breaks and sprains every year in women’s feet.
Should little girls really be encouraged to wear high heels at such a young age when they can be so dangerous? Although these baby heels aren't actually walked in do they promote high heel use in the future?

What are your thoughts on this girl bloggers? Do you think these heels are a bad idea or just a cute and harmless gift for baby girls? Let’s hear your comments on this new baby fashion style!