Sexualisation of children

Dear Danni, My daughter has Instagram and is obsessed with posting photos of herself. She even takes selfies in the car as I drive her to school. How do I…

Reports of improper teacher-student relationships are on the rise. Earlier this month, in a Daily Telegraph exclusive it was revealed that sexual misconduct incidents have increased by two thirds in…

Along with all the spray tans and fancy frocks comes advice for girls that ranges from well intentioned but misguided, to outright dangerous.

Worried that your little girl is 10, going on 15? You’re not alone. When I first started working in schools with young women to give them the skills they need…

In the age of #MeToo, discussions around sexual harassment are not theoretical for most young women — but are part of their day-to-day experience.

If you have a teen, it’s highly likely that at some stage they have been sent a nude image.

I vote to eliminate the following phrases…

Further to last week’s post on an alarming new type of lewd cyber scavenger hunt, I thought I’d share this Opinion piece by author, columnist, journalist, semi-retired academic and social…

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.…

The following post was originally published by Kidspot. Yep. I’m calling it. This is the greatest marketing campaign aimed at little girls ever. Much-loved talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has…

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…

This week I wish to share spoken word poet Madiha Bhatti’s thoughtful piece on women in the music industry, an extract from which also appears below. Isn’t it powerful? Mu(Sick):…

Last week I shared three of the five things I, and the other noted Feminists I asked to contribute, believe we need to stop saying to girls now. You can…

I often find myself frustrated by much of the dialogue that surrounds teen girls as it can in fact be very damaging. Sadly, those that use these assumptions and stereotypes…

My writing buddy Nina Funnell and I have spent a busy week doing media for our new book Loveability – An Empowered Girl’s Guide to Dating and Relationships. A highlight…

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…

We all want our daughters to become strong, resilient and compassionate women. But how do you help them get there? In a world that seems to force girls to grow…

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…

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…

This week there has been animated discussion about book covers. Concern over the truly awful feminised version of Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar” went beyond merely that of taste. Writer…

The Next Big Thing encourages writers to share their work. Participants answer questions on their next big project (usually a book, but not always – one of the nominees listed…

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…

The countdown has begun! Ever since my book on raising teen girls — The Butterfly Effect — came out, mothers and daughters have been telling me they wish there was…

Just like the all-knowing, ominous voices in Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, every festive season concerned commentators apparate to warn us about the imminent dangers of Christmas shopping for children- especially…