Angsting about the cultural goods young women enjoy and the impact these may have on their morals and intellect is, sadly, nothing new. When romantic fiction grew in popularity in…
We seem to suffer from a collective amnesia about what we were like ourselves at this age.
We are quick to attribute influence to a VIP, yet less likely to own that we have just as much power to shape our children as any reality TV star…
This week the HSC exams finished for another year and, as an educator and the parent of a teenage girl who sat her last test on Monday, I can’t help…
The following post was the lead Opinion piece in the Daily Telegraph 30/0/16. In it, I discuss a game teens in the Newcastle area are playing. It may shock you.…
Regular readers will know I have spent the past six months as a volunteer Board Director for a new women’s shelter that is opening in Sydney’s northwest, The Sanctuary. Like…
This post originally appeared on News Corp’s popular online opinion site RendezView. “Lies, scams and deceit — just your average teen girl.” “Lost innocence: Why girls are having rough sex…
I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to, and write, some really interesting pieces for various media outlets this week. I want to share the highlights with you here. The always-wise…
I was pleased to have had the opportunity to provide a context for why young girls might chose to send their images to online Instagram pages that invite others to…
US retailer Target recently made the ridiculous choice to (poorly) photoshop an already svelte teen model in order to give her a thigh gap and alien-like limbs. On-line news site…
Nina Funnell and I wrote the following post on Big Brother which was first published at both The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on November 5th. Big Brother is…
Back in 2008 I blogged about my concern music no longer loved women: Song lyrics have always been filled with sexual innuendo and pushed societies boundaries but this in-your-face mainstream…
The last few weeks have been something of whirlwind. I have been presenting to hundreds of teen girls in Adelaide, Canberra, Sydney – and am off to Melbourne and Singapore…
The Illawarra Women’s Health Centre was the the charity recipient for this year’s Illawarra International Women’s Day committee event for their project “Empowering Young Women of the Illawarra.” The Project…
Successful model Cameron Russell recently gave an incredibly powerful TED Talk on why looks aren’t everything, and on how in reality, she is merely the lucky recipient of a genetic…
Last week’s inspiring post by Jane Caro on overcoming an anxiety disorder struck a chord with many readers who have been through the same thing. Many of our girls are…
I am fortunate to regularly be a panelist on Channel 9’s Mornings with Jane Caro, self-described novelist (Just a Girl), author (The Stupid Country, The F Word), writer, feminist, atheist,…
Do short shorts = trampy? Does a short skirt = slutty? The American Psychological Association (APA) defines “sexualisation” as occurring when a person’s value is believed to come only from…
I have noticed a trend in the quest to promote positive body image that I really think needs to be critiqued and nipped in the bud. Fast. It is typified…
Trigger warning: This blog post contains references to suicide. If you or anyone you know has suicidal thoughts or behaviour, seek help immediately. These help lines are open 24 hours…
In the final instalment of Susan Johnson’s exceptional piece on teens and body image that we have been running here for the past few weeks, teen girls speak frankly about…
In part 2 of Susan Johnson’s excellent investigative piece on teens and body image that I introduced here last week, she looks at the effects of the unprecedented pressure on…
I am excited to be able to share with you an outstanding article on teens and body image, for which Australian journalist Susan Johnson extensively interviewed leading experts and kids…
