Hey, girls. Do you have a question for Barack Obama or John McCain? Well, here’s your chance to ask it! Send your questions for the presidential candidates to us at submissions@newmoongirls.com by noon on Wednesday, October 1. We'll forward your questions to The Women’s Media Center (WMC), which has been accepted to submit questions to the final Presidential debate on October 15.

This is a wonderful opportunity to speak up about issues that affect you—we can’t wait to hear from you!

Heels for babies?

Have you ever played dress-up with your mom's or older sister's clothes? Many young girls are excited about growing up, but it's not usually a topic facing new-born babies. A new company recently released high-heeled shoes for young babies, a form of footwear usually reserved for the feet of older girls.

Heelarious, a company started by two mothers from Seattle, sells soft imitation high-heeled shoes for babies to wear. While the shoes are mostly for decoration (the heel of each shoe is soft and will collapse if stepped on), we have to question what message this sends girls at such an early age about beauty and gender expectations.

What do you girls think of this product? Do you think that it's just a cute and kitschy accessory? What do you think this product says about our societies expectations of females?

Election Time!

Hey girls, the first presidential debate is on for tonight! Republican nominee John McCain had originally called to postpone the debate due to the recent financial problems on Wall Street, but just announced this morning that he still plans to attend.

You may not be old enough to make your vote officially count yet, but you can still be involved and have your voice heard as the election date draws closer! Check out virtual social site Woogi World™, where you can learn more about the candidates running for election, and even cast your own e-vote on the site. We'll also be holding a Mock Election during election week at NewMoonGirls.com!

In the meantime, be sure to check out one girl's report of the democratic convention at NewMoonGirls.com. You can also tune into tonight's live debate on television, which will begin at 9 pm eastern time.

Racism Study

Hey, girls. Did you hear about the new study about racism that was just released? The study was started because of this year's presidential race, where racism might play a part in people's voting decisions. The study focused on attitudes and feelings about racism between White people and Black people. White people and Black people reported VERY different ideas about racism, including the following:

Only 10% of White people said that Black people still face "a lot" of discrimination, but 57% of Black people said they face " a lot" of discrimination.

The study also asked how much racial tension was "caused" by Black people. 30% of Whites said "most" or "all," while only 3% of Black people said they caused "most" or "all" racial tension.

Another finding was that about 20% of Whites surveyed admired black people often, while 70% of Blacks reported admiring White people often.

When I read this study, I was troubled, especially by the fact that 30% of Whites said that Blacks caused "most" or "all" racial tension. That's like saying it's girls' or women's fault when people are sexist! I think it's pretty unfair to blame racism on the group that faces more discrimination.

What do you think about this study? Does it seem fair to you? Was anything surprising? Why do you think White people and Black people have such different ideas about racism? And how can we continue to fight racism? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

This week at NewMoonGirls.com!

The topic at NewMoonGirls.com this week is "hobbies." Hobbies are all of the activities that you love to do for fun, such as drawing, writing, playing sports, and reading.

One of my favorite hobbies is scrap booking. I save ticket stubs, programs, and postcards from everywhere I go, and later paste them into a blank book. I think that scrap booking is a great way to record memories of trips and events. It's also a great activity to do with friends. You can create scrapbooks of memories you have and of experiences that you all shared together.

What are some of your favorite hobbies? Also, be sure to visit NewMoonGirls.com to read about what other girls like to do for fun!

Autumnal Equinox!

Happy first day of fall everyone! Today's autumnal equinox officially marks the end of summer and the start of the fall season. What are some of your favorite things about fall?

Are you pulled in by marketing?

This afternoon I was at the grocery store when a display of Halloween-themed boxes of General Mills cereals caught my eye. I don't usually eat cereal, but it was hard to resist the box of Trix cereal with a brightly colored picture of the rabbit wearing a mask on the front.

The Federal Trade Commission has reported that the food and beverage industries pull in their greatest profits from marketing to kids. Most of the money they spend goes to marketing soda, fast food--and breakfast cereal. Companies market their products through television ads, websites, online games, and promotions, all designed to make you want their product.

While many companies (including General Mills) have recently pledged to limit how they market their products to children, it's still important to be more aware of how companies try to sell their products to you. Do you girls often find yourself wanting a product after seeing an advertisement for it? Do you visit company websites (such as General Mills)? What features on these websites do you spend time looking at? Are you often attracted to a product because of its packaging?