Tag Archive for self-image

Girlo’s Check this out

One of my favourite authors for young women attempting to navigate their way in the world is Anthea Paul. Her Girlosophy books are a great read and I’ve never given one to a young woman at school without having her rave about how much it made her feel better about herself. That is surely all that needs to be said to recommend them to you.

There is a new Girlosophy website! There are some great links and articles on there as well as groups. I can’t rate her and the work she does highly enough.

I think girls of all age deserve to indulge themselves in Anthea Paul’s philosophy on living on your own terms.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Our Little Secret by Allayne Webster

‘Our Little Secret’ is very popular with the girls at school. Now that I have completed it, I can see why.  It’s set in a small community and unpretentiously reveals some of the hardships teen girls grapple with. The position the young, innocent heroine finds herself in is described with a clear youthful voice. It was very believable and I’m confident this book would be a great aid to young women who find themselves manipulated and abused in this way. I would even go so far as to say it could protect and help to heal some of the damage done to girls who find their sexual behaviour going too far too fast.  It reveals the insecurities and vulnerabilities with a gentle and considered approach. I recommend it for young women.

 Read a review on Inside a Dog. The writer Allayne Webster’s story is an interesting read also.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Winter Uniforms

Our students have switched to winter uniforms at school this week. This involves wearing a long sleeved shirt and tie. If today is any indication I am going to spend a significant amount of time, showing kids how to do up ties, reminding them to do them up and other general nagging about the dress code. It drives me nuts and is the least enjoyable part of being a co-ordinator. Why do they feel a need to walk around half undressed? Shirts unbuttoned and ties at half mast. It can’t be about individuality, cause they all want to do it.

 I’ve been irritable today. It’s possibly just feeling like a nagging mother, yet perhaps the ‘w’ word - winter, is creeping up. I had better get on to that Winter Survival kit, I suggested when I read Develop a Strategic Plan for Happiness: The Clearing Space. I’ve been thinking about what kinds of things, besides chocolates and soup, would make winter more tolerable. Please feel free to make some suggestions for me.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Cyberbullying with Michael Carr-Greg

Tonight I drove a for a little over an hour to spend around an hour listening to Michael Carr-Gregg’s take on Cyberbullying. There was nothing really new there for me but he did mention a few interesting resources at the end of his talk that I will follow up.

He mentioned a new novel ‘Destroying Avalon’ by Kate McCaffrey, which sounds like a must read for me. Kate McCaffrey’s blog: Musings from the West has also been added to my feed as she sounds like an interesting author.

He spoke about his source of information Tommy Wood, the young man who made news by hacking an internet filter the government had spent a lot (vague I know, but too tired to check facts right now!) of money on. Wood Verdict is Tommy’s blog and if you aren’t surrounded by young people everyday to keep the reality of teen onlife life real for you, it may pay you to take a look at it.  Actually his most recent post just about covers all the information I’ve ever heard about dealing with Cyberbullying, so if you need to get up to speed on this topic read it.

I don’t want to sound cynical or jaded, but I was hoping for more. I want to go to a speaker with a bigger agenda for change than just informing the ‘grown ups’ about what’s going on. I want to hear someone address the real life circumstances and consequences for the people involved. On each occassion that I have had this issue come up with youth, I feel a bit left out in the cold and without guidance. I want a discussion about schools and parents engaging with their young people online. I want to hear more about those who successfully channel the new tools in schools to a more purposeful and constructive result. Here endeth the rant. Maybe another day, when it’s not so late, I too can be more constructive.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Go Girls

Today’s Age has a great article on true girl power: Sick of impossible princesses, real girls fight back. This type of news gives me great pleasure. Poor self image is very invasive this culture of unhealthy beauty. I will rest on this issue when I see normal images in the media and not distorted, air brushed, superficial, insane role models for young people. You don’t have to look very far to find a young person in desperate need exploited by the media (think Britney, Corey for recent examples).

I remember my dad once remarking to me that I shouldn’t look to ‘pop’ culture for real advice or for models of behaviour unless I wanted to be a singer or an actress. He had a rant about how they are not qualified to be role models in anything other than what they excelled at. Whilst at the time I though he just didn’t understand what it meant to be cool, I began to not be interested in the private lives of artists. I began to just appreciate what they were offering, the music, the acting, the art. My pa also used to say “Why don’t these great scientists have fan clubs? They are really doing great things.” They were right and I think these comments have influenced me to look for a little more in my heroes.

I also noticed on the ‘Little Losers’ campaign (Row over Lewd Clothes for Kids) which has been picked up by many bloggers such as Megan at Imaginif Jay Jay’s is the little loser, yesterday’s Herald Sun had a small article about the response from Jay Jays : Jay Jays responds to tee criticism. This is a win!

Authors like Anthea Paul and her empowering ‘Girlosophy’ series are making a difference. Light is shining on this manipulation and people are waking up to the hidden messages we are saturated with. There is a power in speaking up. I want to do more of it in 2008. I hope you do too!

Popularity: 35% [?]