Prom season is fast approaching, and as anyone who’s ever participated in the ritual knows, there’s a whole lot of ado surrounding this night – finding the perfect dress, the perfect hairstyle, the perfect ride…the perfect date.

This year, Whole Foods Market is launching Project Green Prom, a challenge to engage high school students across the country to “green” their high school proms by making thoughtful decisions and informed purchases for prom season. The hope is that teens will see there are many changes that can be easily made to approach prom from a more sustainable perspective – such as choosing greener alternatives in hair, make up, skin and body care products, prom attire and accessories, décor, transportation, and flowers.

As part of Project Green Prom, Whole Foods is sponsoring a video contest, where teens are challenged to create, shoot and send a short video (3 minutes or less) explaining how you would “green” your high school prom. The grand prize winner will receive a trip to NYC and a slew of eco-inspired prom gear, including dress, shoes, beauty products, refreshments, and much more.

Video contest submissions will be accepted between March 1 and March 31…find out more here!

I missed catching it when it was in theaters, but now that it’s out on DVD, I finally had a chance to watch the girl empowerment movie Girls Rock!, a smart and fun documentary about a week-long camp where girls ages 8-18 learn how to rock it out and reclaim their voice along the way.

The film follows a handful of girls as they stretch themselves in ways they never imagined, because at Girls Rock Camp, girls are taught that it’s “okay to sweat like a pig, scream like a banshee, wail on their instruments with complete and utter abandon, and that it is 100% okay to be exactly who you are.”

What I love about the idea of this amazing camp for girls is that it takes girls of all ages, from all walks of life, and puts them in situations where they’ll have to do the hard work of growing, learning about themselves (the good and the bad), finding ways to get along with people who aren’t necessarily like them, and overcoming their fears of expressing their inner rock star. While much of the camp (and the movie) is spent in small band groups writing and practicing a song for the end-of-week showcase, girls are also exposed to things like self defense, zine writing, song writing, and screen printing.

To get connected, visit the or . To find out more about Girls Rock camps (they’re now in Portland, OR; Brooklyn, NY; Murfreesboro, TN; Philadelphia, PA; Bay Area, CA; Austin, TX; Washington D.C.; North Carolina, London, and Sweden, click here.

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Want to win the Girls Rock! DVD? Leave a comment below sharing a time you took a risk and let the real you shine through and describe how it felt, and you’ll automatically be entered to win. Two winners will be selected next Thursday, March 5th. Good luck!

There’s a lot of buzz in the news lately about teens and “sexting” – sending sexually explicit pictures over a cell phone. This meant-to-be-personal content often gets shared and passed around, and that’s when things get really complicated. Besides the obvious issue that pushing the “send” button can’t be undone and that these images will be floating out there in cyberspace forever, recently, teens caught sexting are facing legal charges of obscenity or child pornography.

I did a little digging and found this interesting new study from CosmoGIRL! and The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, and was surprised to find out just how common sexting is:

• 22% of teen girls say they have electronically sent and/or posted online nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves
• 37% of teen girls are sending or posting sexually suggestive messages
• 21% of teen girls say they’ve sent such content to someone they wanted to date or hook up with
• 15% of teens who have sent or posted nude/semi-nude images of themselves have done so to someone they knew only online

Legal charges and media buzz aside, sending any personal, explicit electronically is bad news – for your self-worth, your self-esteem, and your self-respect. Even if your messages and pictures are meant for the eyes of your loved one only, there’s no guarantee the material will remain private (as Vanessa Hudgens would be the first to admit).

Here are some other things to think about before you hit the send button, courtesy of CosmoGIRL! and The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:

• There is no changing your mind in cyberspace – anything you send or post will never truly go away
• Don’t give in to the pressure to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable, even in cyberspace
• Consider the recipient’s reaction (something you mean as a joke might be taken the wrong way, etc.)
• Nothing is truly anonymous

UPDATE: The issue of “sexting” has gotten a lot of media play, but a recent article featuring teen online expert Anatasia Goodstein (author of Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online and creator of Ypulse) points out that this phenomenon isn’t as rampant as we’re being led to believe. Check out the article here.

What happens when you put sports and girls together? Good things. It’s a proven fact that girls who participate in sports are likely to get better grades, and have higher levels of confidence, self-esteem, and positive body image than girls who don’t play sports. As a woman and a runner, I know firsthand the incredible things I’ve gained by being an athlete.

Nike and Ashoka Changermakers believe that sports can be used to improve community, accelerate development, and drive social change for girls and women around the world, which is why they’ve created the GameChangers: Change the Game for Women in Sport initiative.

If you have an idea for using sports as a tool for positive social change in the lives or women and girls, submit your idea or nominate an organization or initiative on the GameChangers website. The deadline for entries and nominations is tomorrow, February 25, 6pm EST.

And if you want to see what women from all over the world are up to and read about their proposals for merging girls and sports for change, you can check out all the entries here. And even if you don’t have a proposal of your own, GameChangers still wants you to join the dialogue. Your experience and insights are invaluable to the emerging field of sport for social change. Lastly, GameChangers will need your help again from April 1 to April 15, 2009, to vote for three winners from the approximately 12 finalists.

This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, a special week aimed at preventing eating disorders and body image issues while reducing the stigma surrounding eating disorders and improving access to treatment. With the recent public scrutiny of Jessica Simpson’s curvy figure and Lindsay Lohen’s skinnier-than-ever look, this week couldn’t come at a better time to bring awareness to the very real dangers of eating disorders.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), nearly 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life and death battle with a disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Millions more struggle with binge eating disorder.

Here are some surprising statistics about eating disorders from NEDA:

• 42% of first through third grades want to be thinner
• 81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat
• Over 1/2 of teenage girls and nearly 1/3 of teen boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking, vomiting, and taking laxatives
• Anorexia has the highest rate of mortality of any mental illness
• There has been a rise in incidence of anorexia in young women 15-19 in each decade since 1930

To connect with resources, get help, read stories of hope from sufferers of eating disorders, or find out more information, visit the National Eating Disorders Association online.

A few weeks ago, I went to the Mercer Island Library to give my “Dream It, Do It” workshop for girls. The workshop stems from my book, , and gives girls tools for thoughtfully thinking about their career futures and helps them recognize the things they can start doing today to make their dreams more attainable.

The workshop also highlights some of my most favorite words of wisdom from the women of In Their Shoes, which I thought I’d share with you here:

• Don’t Be Afraid to Fail – Missy Park, entrepreneur and founder of Title 9 Sports
• Follow Your Passion, Not the Money – Amy Friedman, SVP of Original Programming, The N & Noggin
• The People Who “Do” Become the People Who “Are” – Susannah Grant, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter
• Enthusiasm and a Good Attitude Gets Noticed – Susan Schulz, former Editor-in-Chief, CosmoGIRL!
• Take Time to Stop and Recharge – Lupe Valdez, Sheriff of Dallas County
• Give Life a Chance to Reveal Itself to You – Maureen Shirreff, North American Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather
• Don’t Let Anybody Set Limitations on What You Can Do – Holly McPeak, Olympic Medalist
• Don’t Be Afraid to Make a Change – Joyce Roche’, CEO of Girls Inc.

Visit my website to listen to my original interview with TV executive Amy Friedman and read the profile of Olympic volleyball player Holly McPeak.

The women’s movement may have happened decades ago, but that doesn’t mean women and girls still don’t find themselves being told something’s out of their reach just because they’re a girl. While many of us know not to pay any mind to these naysayers, it can be challenging to move past these put downs to move on depending on who they’re coming from.

That’s why Girls Can’t What? was created – to encourage women to pursue their dreams no matter what roadblocks they may encounter. On the website, you’ll find heaps of anecdotes from real women and girls who share their stories of being told they couldn’t do something – from taking a computer science class in school to piloting a helicopter – and proved everyone wrong.

My most vivid memory of being told to give up is from college, when I was trying to transfer into the film program. I met with the department advisor, who, after listening to me plead my case, flat out told me I could transfer to film, but I should know I’d never do anything with the degree. I’d just be a housewife with a film degree and that would be that. I was flabberghasted. And pissed. But despite my outrage, I ended up changing my mind and pursuing broadcast journalism instead, mostly because I didn’t want to deal with the sexist jerk for the next three years. Looking back, I wish I had done more, or at the very least, reported his outrageous and inappropriate behavior to the school.

So, check out Girls Can’t What? and get inspired. We girls really can do anything we want to do!

You probably won’t find a Hallmark card to go along with this holiday, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth celebrating! Today, women engineers and their male counterparts will reach as many as one million girls around the country with workshops, tours, online discussions, and engineering activities at businesses, universities, and libraries as part of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.

The day was started because women are seriously underrepresented in the engineering field – only 20% of engineering graduates are women, and only 10% of the engineering work force is made up of women. The hope is that through the Day and other outreach efforts, “girls and young women will feel empowered to pursue a challenging, lucrative, creative and potentially world-changing career in science, technology, engineering, and math.”

To find out about Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day activities happening near you, visit the Engineers Week website here.

Technology is moving so fast, there’s no way schools can keep up with what’s cutting edge and make sure their students have the knowledge they need to be a part of the revolution. Enter FreshBrain.

A new free website for teens, FreshBrain, gives creative teens the chance to explore their passions (like music, graphic design, gaming, videos, and new technology) with or through the use of technology, as well as interact with other like-minded thinkers all over the world. From the website:

FreshBrain takes advantage of the latest technologies, such as web conferencing and social networking, to provide a very progressive environment where teens can complete activities and work together on projects. This experience is enhanced with advisors, available to support and mentor teens who are working on projects, with the intention of increasing the likelihood of success. In addition, FreshBrain provides teens with tools and training in the latest technologies to complete these projects.

My favorite part of the site is the activities area, where users can do anything from developing a new Facebook application (in minutes they say!) to creating your ideal Twilight-inspired vampire.

Whatever you’re into, you’re bound to find great info here, and maybe even get the confidence, advice, and contacts you need to go on to create the next big thing!

Are you a “supergirl?” Nineteen-year-old Liz Funk defines this as “a girl who believes that in order to be happy, she must excel at her job or career, have the best grades, wear the coolest clothes, date the best-looking boy, and have the perfect body size.”

Liz writes all about the supergirl phenomenon in her new book, . In her book, she closely follows five supergirls, and surveys a hundred more, and looks at how the pressures these girls face affects every aspect of their lives, from body image and career choices, to interactions with family and friends. Many supergirls become so competitive, including with themselves, that they may become depressed or develop emotional disorders.

At only 19, Liz is a self-professed supergirl herself, and has been published in USA Today, CosmoGIRL!, New York Magazine, and Girls Life, among others. She just crossed two items off her “bucket list” by getting to meet Matt Lauer and being interviewed live on The Today Show. To find out more about the book and Liz, check out her blog here.

I can’t wait to read Liz’s book, since I’m a recovering supergirl, although when I was in high school, I don’t think this phenomenon was understood. But I do remember that my BFF and I felt a lot of pressure to excel at everything, and I was never really sure where that pressure came from. Even now, the mentality of achieving and doing is still a part of who I am, although I’m definitely much less self-critical now. I hope Supergirls Speak Out helps young women become more aware of the crisis and stop it once and for all.

And for another great resource on the supergirl dilemma, check out Claire Mysko’s book
and read my interview with Claire here!