Comments on: Just what are we teaching our girls?

By: Principled Discovery » Homeschool resources

Principled Discovery » Homeschool resources — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:26:20 +0000

[...] curriculum and as I’ve been reading along in these discussions, it occurred to me that we have our own cliques in homeschooling circles. “What curriculum do you use?” seems the quickest way to size [...]

By: Kids and Consumerism « Scita > Scienda

Kids and Consumerism « Scita > Scienda — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:21:40 +0000

[...] Kids and Consumerism 2009 July 21 tags: cartoons, consumers, Disney, tweens by C.L. Dyck This is why I love Dana Hanley: Wired’s recent round-up of games being marketed to “tween” girls has stirred up a few emotions recently. With titles such as The Clique: Diss and Make-up, Top Model and My Boyfriend, the list reads like a list of the worst stereotypes of the “in” junior high cliques I was so never a part of. They were reading YM. I was reading The Communist Manifesto. Somehow, we never hit it off. ~Principled Discovery [...]

By: Cocking A Snook!

Cocking A Snook! — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:25:35 +0000

Is “UnCultured” Desirable or Even Possible, for Our Girls?…

What’s the opposite of uncultured, I’m wondering today.
Cultured? Or natural, pure, authentic? So is cultured a good thing or not? Do we (collectively, as a culture) have consensus either way, have we thought to ask? Is it even a meaning…

By: Dana

Dana — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:04:39 +0000

But Crimson Wife, it is far worse to teach a girl to be hip than it is to teach a boy to be a felon.

I don’t like these messages, either, but after years of hearing that violent games for boys are supposed to be good for them, giving them a safe place to act out (but not influencing behavior any), I find it interesting that we’re suddenly up in arms about what messages we’re giving to girls.

By: Crimson Wife

Crimson Wife — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:36:08 +0000

The issue that I have with this kind of critique of girl culture is that most of those making it do not distinguish between superficial-but-innocuous fun and things that are truly harmful. For example, the "God's Girlz" line of dolls vs. the Bratz dolls. I don't really have a problem with my DD being interested in fashion so long as the clothes are not age-inappropriate, she has plenty of other interests, and she knows that inner beauty is what really counts. Why does it have to be framed as literature vs. fluffy fashion mag? Why can't a girl like both?

By: Sebastian (a lady)

Sebastian (a lady) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:58:10 +0000

I like the link at the end of your post about the effect of ads directed at kids. We chose not to do much tv because we just didn’t really like the offerings. But we’ve reaped the benefit of our kids not being bombarded with advertising. Before many birthdays and Christmas, they have to struggle to come up with things they’d like to get instead of having an endless array of must haves.

I think that homeschooling is also a big help here. Not nearly so many folks to try to keep up with.