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• Pole Dancing Kits and Other Modern Toys

  Padded bras for first graders, bikini waxes for eight-year-olds, pole dancing kits sold alongside Etch-a-sketches in the toy store—excuse me, but how did this happen? How is it affecting girls' self-image? And, um, what happened to feminism? These are a few of the questions tackled in a recent Salon interview with M. Gigi Durham, author of “The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About it.” Read More... Posted May 21 2008, 06:30 PM by Hannah Tennant-Moore with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: barbie, sex ed, media, tweens, Salon, sex education, feminism, young girls, abstinence only, teenage girls, sexualization of young girls, gigi durham, pole dancing kits, the lolita effect, female sexuality, padded bras, sexualization of youth, bikini waxes, teen girls

• More Outrageous Than Miley? Disney Bra and Panty Billboard

  Disney breathlessly defended the innocence of their virginal cash cow Miley Cyrus (aka: Hannah Montana), describing her topless Vanity Fair photo shoot thusly: "a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines." For shame! So how did the spokeperson for all things Disney react when a Slate writer sent photos of a billboard he saw on a recent trip to China? The billboard features a girl in pigtails wearing nothing but a Mickey Mouse bra and underwear set and Minnie Mouse hand puppets. The Disney signature is stamped prominently in the corner.   Read More... Posted Apr 30 2008, 03:28 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: disney, Vanity Fair, tweens, hannah montana, miley cyrus, Annie Liebovitz, girl lingerie, miley cyrus vanity fair photos, sexualized girls

• Do 6-Year-Olds Need Chunky Highlights? Yes, Say Salons!

  I was all set to start railing on yet another trend in little girl beauty -- hair highlights -- when it  dawned on me that I was, what, in 5th grade when my hair was processed for the first time. Not highlights, a crappy perm. And not at a salon, but my mom and a box of Ogilvie. So messing with girls' hair is nothing new. It's just where it gets messed with -- and the price -- are different. Right? I don't know. I feel like there's more going on here. This story in the NY Times reveals something kind of predatory at worst, distracting at best, for young girls to be going in regularly to be "pampered" and processed and try to live in the world of Hannah Montana and Jamie Lynn Spears. Read More... Posted Apr 03 2008, 03:03 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: tweens, NY Times, tween pampering, tween beauty routine

• TLK2UL8R POS (Um, what?)

  In case you weren't sure, text messaging has caught on big with the teen/tween set. The New York Times says that this is a way for them to talk without their parents knowing what they're talking about. Gee, I had to actually go outside if I didn't want mom to know what I was up to. Between texting and not walking five miles to school, up hill, both ways, these kids today have it way too easy. Translation of the title of this post is after the jump. Read More... Posted Mar 10 2008, 11:00 AM by Brett Singer with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: teenagers, cell phones, tweens, texting, sms, text messages

• Cigarettes in Kids Movies, In Life, at Grandma's

  I can kind of sympathize with Eric Alterman's rage in this post on Media Matters. He's pissed because he took his two 9-year-olds to see "Definitely, Maybe" which, according to him, wound up being cigarette porn instead of a nice father-daughter family flick. He says the movie glamorized smoking, especially for young females, and also made it appear to be easy to kick the habit. Also:   Read More... Posted Feb 28 2008, 03:34 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: teens, smoking, tweens, Smoking prevention, teen life, adult play, tween, teen trends, teen smoking, teenager, teen, adult movies

• Why Tweens are Too Young for a Brazilian Wax

  Jeez, I can think of a million reasons, the first of which: is there anything to wax? The other 999,999 reasons … come on. I know we’re sexualizing girls at younger and younger ages, but 10? Waxing her pubes? Apparently, you're never too young for this Australian website, read by girls aged 9 to 14. In an article about Brazilian waxing, they try hard to make the case: Read More... Posted Jan 16 2008, 04:34 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: children, marketing to children, tweens, marketing, puberty, body, childhood pain, Madeline Holler, marketing to kids, body image, childrearing, eccentricities, dress up, tween, body enhancement, Twendy-One, brazilian wax

• 3-Year-Olds Getting Their Periods?

  Here’s something you thought you’d never have to deal with: your 3-year-old going through puberty. Yet it’s a little more common than you think (though, mercifully, still pretty rare). And it looks like something that doctors might overlook at the well-baby check ups. Somehow, the mothers in this story figured out that their daughters -- their preschoolers! -- we're thiiiiiis close to getting their periods, and then spent a good bit of time and energy convincing their pediatricians. The average age of puberty for both boys and girls ...   Read More... Posted Jan 14 2008, 05:27 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: toddler, toddlers, tweens, puberty, breasts, menstruation, girls and self-esteem, tween, healtthy eating, early onset puberty, periods, precocious puberty

• Teen Angst Times Ten For the Famous

  You couldn't pay me enough to be a teenager again. Between the drugs and the horrific relationships and the mean kids and the really bad clothes (I won't even go into the hair) it's no wonder I felt utterly insecure and ansgt-ridden, and I can't imagine my experience was all that unique. So honestly, I feel for these celebrity kids who star in shows on Disney and Nickelodeon. They get all the freakiness of the teen years captured and dissected in the media, plus they are supposed to be role models for our kids. Oh, and worry about future earning potential. Bleugh. I know someone is gonna say, "Poor babies, all rich and famous"...   Read More... Posted Sep 24 2007, 04:06 PM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: Celebrities, teens, tweens, angst, fame

• Suicide Rate Goes Up For Girls, Ages...10 to 14?

  Here's the heartbreaking news of the day: suicide rates for kids ages 10 to 24, which had decreased since 1990, have now gone up by 8 percent. While rates for girls ages 15 to 19 went up by 32 percent, the biggest jump was in suicides among girls 10 to 14. Good lord, those are still lego and doll years. Now, while we are talking about small numbers here (94 suicides in that age group in 2004, compared to 56 in 2003)  think about the fact that kids as young as 10 even have moments of contemplating the end of their lives. Middle school may have been one the lowest points in my existence, but still...ugh. So why are the numbers going up?  Read More... Posted Sep 11 2007, 11:56 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: tweens, health and kids, girls and self-esteem, suicide

• What, Your Kid Doesn't Have a Cell Phone Yet?

  I live under a rock. I'm pretty sure I do, anyway. Otherwise, why would I feel chagrin at reading that cell phones are now being marketed to kids as young as five? Hello? Why does a kid that age need a cell phone anyway? We parents don't let kids out of our sight anymore so it's not like little Billy needs to call home to see if it's lunchtime while he's down playing at the creek all day. And even if Billy was playing down at the creek, unless he's also operating heavy machinery while plowing the back 40, a good walkie-talkie does the job just as well. Read More... Posted Aug 04 2007, 08:08 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: kids, disney, cell phones, tweens

• Bookbags? Nope, Kids Want Electronic Crap.

  This shopping website did a survey of kids ages seven to twelve, and asked them what was on their wishlists for back-to-school items. "73 percent of kids between the ages of seven and 12 want to head back to school with their gaming systems in hand, and an equally strong 70 percent want a new computer. And to keep in touch while on the playground, 69 percent say they strongly desire a cell phone to complete their back-to-school wares, even naming the new iPhone as one of their choices." Well, isn't that nice. You know what's at the top of my back-to-school wishlist? A million dollars. Perhaps surely I am exceptionally stupid, but I thought back-to-school stuff was supposed to be for, you know, using at school. Perhaps school administrations have changed since my day, but I find it hard to imagine teachers smiling on the use of handheld gaming systems in the classroom. Shoot, we couldn't even chew gum. I'm going to assume that this was a case of a lame question: ask kids what they want the most, and they'll tell you their ultimate desire. Make the age demo a little higher and you'd probably hear about gold-plated SUVs and the chance to bang Eva Mendes.   Posted Jul 26 2007, 10:01 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: video games, iPhone, tweens, back to school, preteens

• Disney Knows Middle Aged Women and Tweens.

  This might come as a shock but Disney finds a "powerful market" and targets it. The latest target is the 9 to 14-year-old 'Tweens' who are driving an estimated $400 million market, all driven by the power of rolling eyes and whining. Miley Cyrus, star of "Hannah Montana" and daughter of Achy Breaky One Hit Wonder Billy Ray is the latest Tween star to join the force. Because Tweens think parents are sort of lame, but still need their wallets to fund their personal style, the newest Disney look is designed to appeal to Tweens but toes the line between "fashionable and trendy" but doesn't cross the line to slutty.  According to Disney's Donna Sheridan, "We have to strike a balance between what the girl wants and what the mother wants." Which is funny because I sort of don't want my daughter to wear any merchandise licensed by Disney and sold at Walmart, rhinestones or not. Color me Anti-American! Posted Jun 26 2007, 09:04 AM by Melissa Summers with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: disney, fashion, tweens, Wal-Mart, disney channel

• Body Image Advice Really Tween Marketing

  There's this particular kind of marketing I just hate: where a company will put out a brochure or press release full of advice and tips, and then slide in a big section on their product and why it is so very appropriate for the very issues at hand. Lots of stuff is marketed to parents this way. There's something about this tactic that feels extra manipulative to me, like if your therapist turned to you mid-session and said, "You know, I think this brand of toothpaste would absolutely help you resolve your issues with your mother." Of course, you already give money to the therapist. Teen Spirit by Lady Speed Stick deodorant has a whole downloadable "Tween Scene" brochure on how to talk to tween daughters about body image. Teen Spirit deodorant presumably smells like... teen spirit. (Kurt, I miss you.) Some of the advice is okay, like give her a specific compliment every day and support her in physical activity. Other stuff is a joke, like encourage her to smile (creepy mom says brightly "smile, honey!") and get all into IM and suff like that to communicate with her. As if you could ever hope to master tween text messaging shorthand. Oh, and there's lots of advice on how to bond over buying deodorant, when tweens might need deodorant, that you should show her how to put it on (rocket science, here) and that physically active girls might have more sweat and body odor. Now I just suspect they encouraged sports for girls in an attempt to bring new customers into the fold. So let's amend the earlier statement: this crap sells like teen spirit. Posted Jun 09 2007, 09:54 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: tweens, marketing, body image, girls and self-esteem, communication

• Kid's Show Hosted By Former Navy SEAL

  Former Navy SEAL David Rutherford has created a show for Boca Raton television called Froglogic. No, it's not a slur against the French or a nod to the retired WB mascot, it's named after the SEALs, who are called "frogmen". Rutherford uses the lessons he learned during his training to help keep kids on the straight-and-narrow. "I teach kids things like, 'never quit, never leave a man behind, there is no such thing as failure,'' he says.  You know, when the kids are doing military exercises and stuff. I totally disagree that there's no such thing as failure, and I can point to about a hundred examples from my own life alone to prove it. But maybe I just haven't had the proper training. I like this: "He targets kids between the ages of 10 and 15 because kids under 10 are too young to get into trouble..." Someone has not met the right under-ten kids yet. But Rutherford is very active in his community, and he is trying to give kids a positive attitude. He's even organizing an event: "'Frogapalooza,' which would feature healthy, local food vendors, music acts and motivational speakers to provide kids with positive influences." Now these pearls aren't part of the SEAL training, but here's my credo: 1) No one is allowed to use '-alooza' anymore, because I'm so friggin' sick of it I can't even stand it, and 2) motivational speakers are usually scary. Worse than clowns, even. Not all, but most. Other than that and the interesting military vibe of all this, more power to you, Rutherford. I'll try and check out the show after my bootcamp exercise class.   Posted Jun 01 2007, 04:48 PM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: kids television, children's television, tweens, navy seals, motivation

• Tween Girls Know All The Celeb Trash

  Keep your eyes peeled for Tween People: according to the NY Times, 8- to 12-year-old girls are getting loads of celebrity gossip from television, magazines, the internet, and so on. They know who is in rehab, who is adopting from a far-off land, and who is addicted to gambling and porn. Perhaps they've been spending lots of quality time with us. But while most of the tweens express serious disapproval over the antics of former child stars, experts are concerned the exposure to celebrinsanity could make getting high, having sex, and engaging in all around drama seem more acceptable to the kids later in life. Like around prom time. See, back when I went to prom, we did not get drunk or have sex with our dates in cars because we wanted to be like Lindsay. We just sort of thought those things were exciting in and of themselves. Okay, I don't think an 8-year-old needs to read that Paris flashed her hoo hoo, and frankly, I'm too young to read about it. I really don't like all the focus on celeb weights, and the weird emaciated aesthetic. But y'know what hidden moral bugs me more than the supposed  "sex and drugs are fun" message? (Because they aren't fun. Oh no.) I hate the fact that while Britney and Lindsay get trashed for being trampy and messy, guys with slut reputations like Wilmer Valderrama and Jared Leto barely get a whisper of disapproval. Celebrity males basically have to shoot someone or have sex with a hooker to get any bad press. So our young 'uns get another cultural message that's been around for a while: there are very different standards of behavior for boys and girls. I do like this: "Gone are the days when children who wanted to learn the meaning of a naughty word or slang term had to find a dictionary or a more worldly pal. Today, Wikipedia can explain in a matter of seconds that badonkadonk is a term for a woman’s buttocks." Is that bad? I would like my child to use "badonkadonk" correctly if she's gonna say it. Unlike when we were kids, and someone circulated a rumor that you could get pregnant from french kissing. Oh, the innocence... Do you think celeb gossip will poison our youth?   Posted May 30 2007, 08:02 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Celebrities, tweens, NY Times, children and media, gossip

• Social Networking Sites Target 8-year-olds (Successfully)

  Interacting with online users in a 2D world. Sharing music. Swapping stories. Creating avatars. Keeping up with friends. Sound like you? Perhaps, but it's also true of a growing segment of the social networking audience: 6- to 8-year-olds. Thanks to sites like Webkinz, Club Penguin, Barbie Girls, Nickelodeon's Nicktropolis, and Disney Extreme Digital, kids in this age group are spending about 45 minutes a month in front of computers keeping up with their social networking sites.  While this may not seem like a lot of time, it cuts into TV viewing time which is exactly what these sites want. Parents: this is your wake-up call. "These tweens have a crosshairs on their backs," said Liz Perle, editor-in-chief of Common Sense Media, a nonpartisan San Francisco organization that evaluates media. "The corporations know if they can get (young customers) now, they will establish brand loyalty for life." Parents that once worried about older kids hanging out on MySpace now have cause to be concerned about their younger children. Perle believes that 6-years-old is too young to be social networking and that an hour of screen time is appropriate for 8-year-olds. This still seems like a lot of time to me. My eldest (almost 5) is blissfully ignorant of the computer. I suppose it's because my husband and I are so addicted I'd like to postpone the experience with my kids for as long as possible. Perle adds, "A 6-year-old should be learning how to work out social situations on the playground, where you can read someone's facial expression -- not on some two-dimensional Web site where if an (avatar of a) penguin doesn't want to talk to you, he turns his back and walks away." Word.   Posted May 27 2007, 06:01 PM by Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: parenting, marketing to children, tweens, webkinz, social networking, screen time

• Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be Paris Hilton

  She's obnoxious public persona, an inflated sense of self-importance and she's exists purely to shop and party.  She's like our generation's Charo - but rich.  In other words, Paris Hilton is exactly what I don't want my daughters to be like when they grow up.  Oh, also?  She's about to be a jailbird! Parents Rick and Kathy Hilton looked "stunned" when their daughter was sentenced to 45 days in an L.A. County jail for violating the conditions of her parole for repeatedly driving with a suspended license.  According to reports, Paris stood before the judge pre-sentencing, and told the court, "I respect the law. ... I want you to know I'm very sorry and will pay complete attention to everything from now on."  Mom Kathy was overheard saying "I can't believe how  much money we spent on this [trial]!" Prosecutors said Paris "knowingly" drove with a suspended licence, and pushed hard for a jail sentence; Superior Court Judge Michael Sauer agreed with the prosecution, and said he felt Paris "disregarded everything ... and didn't care and kept driving." Paris' defense team called the sentence "uncalled for, inappropriate and ludicrous. [Paris] has been selectively targeted.  We plan to appeal. Shame on the system." Obviously, this sentence will serve as an example of "what not to do" for young kids in Hollywood, and those who watch them, and as a major comeuppance for Paris.  In all likelihood, due to overcrowding of L.A. jails and the lack of severity of her crime, Paris will serve less than a day in jail, perhaps even just a few hours, but meaning behind the message is still clear: obey the law, no matter who you are, or you will be held accountable. Parents of teens and tweens: will you use Paris Hilton's recent legal troubles as an example of what not to do for your kids?    Posted May 05 2007, 01:08 PM by Alisyn with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: teens, tweens, Paris Hilton, jail sentence, driving with a suspended license

• Is 9 Too Young To Go Strapless? Terri Hatcher Says No

  Remember little Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine herself) at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony?  At 10 years old, she was dressed totally appropriately for the occasion in a flouncy, pink spaghetti-strapped number that looked like she had personally designed it with an Easter basket theme in mind. I'm thinking she ought to send a memo to Terri Hatcher.  Now, I’m not gonna lie: I find Terri Hatcher annoying.  I don’t think she’s a good actress, and I don’t buy her “You like me?? Yay!” bit for one minute. (Also? Homegirl needs to lay off the Botox and eat a cheeseburger before a strong breeze launches her into the stratosphere... but that's another post) In all honesty, though, she does seem like an exceptionally attentive and loving mother to her 9-year-old daughter, Emerson Rose; the twosome is often photographed on mother-daughter outings, or sweetly holding hands while running errands, and their love for each other is palpable.  There is no doubt that Terri has her daughter’s best interest in mind at all times… which makes little Emerson’s fashion statement at Saturday’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner all the more confusing.   Read More... Posted Apr 24 2007, 08:17 AM by Alisyn with | with 24 comment(s) Filed under: tweens, white house correspondents dinner, emerson rose tenney, terri hatcher, strapless dress

• "Showgirls" Star's New Job: Self-Esteem Workshops for Teens

  Showgirls star Elizabeth Berkley says she still gets recognized on the street - no, not as Nomi "I'm not a whore!" Malone, the character that will, unfortunately, define her for the rest of her life.  Young girls approach the actress also known for playing cheerleader Jessie Spano on Saved By The Bell, the classic tween show that also spawned Screech and Mario Lopez - and want to talk some serious girl talk with her. "A new generation of girls started coming up to me," says Elizabeth. "Not just wanting an autograph but wanting to talk..." So she started Ask-Elizabeth, a 2-hour interactive self-esteem-building workshop she leads with groups of middle and high school girls nationwide.  The girls get to ask questions anonymously, by writing them down on paper, on a variety of topics including sex, love, school and family, which Elizabeth, and the rest of the girls, discuss openly. Elizabeth says the girls have been especially inspired by her own struggles to keep her career going over the years, despite setbacks like the infamous bomb she is best known for.  "They love hearing I didn't let somebody stop me," she says. "This is one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done." Wow.  Sounds cool, right?  Parents of tweens and teens, have you heard about this?  Sounds like it's worth looking into.  [Via People]  Posted Apr 06 2007, 07:02 PM by Alisyn with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: tweens, self-esteem, ask-elizabeth, elizabeth berkley

• New Shower Toy Hoping to Clean Up Kid Market

  Fortunately for me my 11-year old still goes, with only minor eye-rolling and grumbling, off to the showers on a regular basis.  But I know it's only a matter of time that I'll be able to smell him when he's still 10 yards away, his clothes will stand up by themselves, and his towel will remain dry and clean for days on end (at least I will be saving on laundry).  I see hope, then, in a new product called AquaStruct, billed as "the world’s first and only shower construction toy for tweens." Read More... Posted Feb 05 2007, 12:04 PM by Karen Murphy with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: toys, tweens, shower

• Disney Sneaks Peek of New Website to Public

  Disney's creating some buzz with the new website update that CEO Robert Iger announced at CES a few weeks ago. Insiders who saw the previews in Vegas have raved about it, and Disney is leaking it bit by bit to the public before its official launch in a few weeks. Most recently the House of Mouse is talking up the changes on their current website's "Disney Insider", touting the "motion" of the new page as well as the versatility. Still shots of the new site look awfully enticing (and are those Fairies Of Color I see in that glimpse from Disney's upcoming Tinkerbell feature? It's about damn time!). But when I tried to view samples of the video clips that are meant to be the cornerstone of the new Disney.com, they borked Firefox. Given that I have a six-month-old computer with a lightning-speed broadband connection, I'm going to need a little more pixie dust before that flies with me. Posted Jan 22 2007, 07:19 AM by Patti with | with no comments Filed under: disney, teens, websites, tweens