Imagine an America where women aren’t allowed to vote. An America where all political leaders are men, and only men get to play a role in determining who those leaders are. An America where pretty much every important decision about the law, the economy, society, and the US’s role in the world is made without the input of women. It may be hard to imagine, but that was the reality in the early 1900s, which, when you think about it, wasn’t all that long ago.

That’s why today, August 26th, is so significant. It was 90 years ago today, that the 19th Ammendment of the US Constitution affirmed the right of women to vote in all public elections, the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil rights movement by women (and their male supporters) that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world’s first women’s rights convention, in Seneca Falls, New York.

Voting is a right I feel passionately about, and I’m grateful to the women who worked so tirelessly to ensure that right is available to me and women everywhere!

For more information the history of Women’s Equality Movement, check out the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership. And don’t miss this great article on Huffington Post by  Kate Kelly about what went into making this day a reality.

I just found out about another great opportunity for those of you who want to get more involved in journalism and are looking for a platform to share your perspective on pop culture, the media, and more. Ypulse, the popular blog that provides independent coverage of youth culture, has just put out the call for new members to join the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board (YAB). Ypulse is looking to further expand the YAB network and broaden the scope of young voices that give Ypulse Readers an authentic glimpse into youth culture today.

Here’s the scoop straight from the source:

For the 2010/2011 term we’re opening up 10 slots to youth between the ages of 13 and 24. We’re looking for diversity in age, race, geography and experience, but most importantly strong opinions about youth culture that will inform and challenge the ongoing discussion around media and marketing here on Ypulse.

We offer the YAB quarterly incentives, along with, of course, the opportunity to publish on Ypulse (building a body of published work and having your photo/bio on the site), network with other advisory board members, and the potential for college or career references and recommendations. There may also be opportunities to attend conferences or other events as “press.”

The board meets on a virtual platform once a month and regularly corresponds over email to discuss editorial ideas, multimedia projects and other contributions. To qualify as a full member and receive those aforementioned incentives, we ask members meet a few eligibility requirements (5 editorial and/or multimedia contributions per year-long term and a maximum of 3 missed meetings, unless there are extenuating circumstances). Nothing too unreasonable since we know most are students and/or working.

If this at all interests you, I urge you to go for it. One of the Louder Than Words authors I worked closely with this past year, Chelsea Rae Swiggett (author of Rae) participated on the YAB this year and had a great experience.

If you are between the ages of 13 and 24, you can fill out the online application here. The deadline for YAB applications is Friday, September 17 by 5 p.m. PST.

Good luck!

As a big fan of AllyKatzz, a cool social networking site that gives girls ages 10-15 a place to be heard for girls ages 10-15, I’m really excited about their upcoming relaunch. The site is shifting its focus to give girls ages 9-17 a chance to share their thoughts on the things that are important to them. By engaging teens as “reporters” for the site, the new AllyKatzz will give both tweens and teens a content-rich environment where they will delve into topics that are meaningful to them and put more emphasis on their voice. Official AllyKatzz reporters will be given their own AllyKatzz.com columns and have the ability to literally write and ‘right’ their own stories!

Being a reporter for AllyKatzz comes with lots of perks, including:

• Being able to “Speak Up, Be Heard, and Change Their World” — through words, videos, art, and photos.
• Becoming “official” reporters — credentials and all.
• Focusing their time and talent on topics that are of interest to them and others — from the daily life of a tween-teen, to celebrities and fashion, to current events — and having their efforts showcased to millions of people world-wide.
• Opportunities to interview authors, actors, singers, musicians, politicians, CEO’s and more because of AllyKatzz.com’s relationships.
• Being published from a young age — and having a portfolio for college.

Interested? You’ll have to go through a rigorous application process that includes a sample blog, a letter of recommendation, written parental permission, and the stamp of a notary public. But it sounds to me like the payoff if you’re selected will be well-worth the effort!

To find out more and apply, download this form. But hurry and get your application in soon…the new site will be launching next month! Good luck!

If you ask me, the answer to that question is a resounding YES.

First there’s the song. If you listen to their new collaboration, entitled “Love the Way You Lie,” you’ll hear the following lyrics, among others:

Rihanna:

Just gonna stand there and watch me burn
But that’s alright because I like the way it hurts
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry
But that’s alright because I love the way you lie

Eminem:

Maybe our relationship isn’t as crazy as it seems
Maybe that’s what happens when a tornado meets a volcano
All I know is I love you too much to walk away though
Come inside pick up your bags off the sidewalk
Don’t you hear sincerity in my voice when I talk
Told you this is my fault look me in the eyeball
Next time I’m pissed I’ll aim my fist at the dry wall
Next time there will be no next time
I apologize even though I know it’s lies
I’m tired of the games I just want her back
I know I’m a liar
If she ever tries to f**king leave again
I’mma tie her to the bed and set the house on fire

And those are just some highlights. Then there’s the . The video features Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan embroiled in an abusive relationship. The problem is, onscreen the relationship is portrayed as sexy, intense, glamorous, and passionate. Yes, it is violent, but the violence almost ends in passionate embraces and sex. Something many people may misconstrue as “love.”

The first time I watched the video, I put myself in my 15-year-old self’s shoes. At 15, I was insecure, longed to have connection, and often looked for validation that I had worth in others, especially boys. I would have watched that video, with every slow motion, passionate kiss and heated exchanges, and part of me would have thought, “I wish someone loved me that much, loved me so much that the thought of losing me would drive them to do dangerous things.” It’s not easy to admit that, but I know I’m not the only one who felt that way, and I know there are millions of girls today who, despite knowing intellectually that dating violence is wrong, would still have an emotional response similar to mine.

The biggest problem with this song and video isn’t that it exists. Some may even say that it portrays a realistic picture of what dating violence looks like and explains how the painful cycle can be hard to get out of. No, the biggest problem is that it portrays it as glamorous and then doesn’t add anything positive or useful to the conversation. As my friend Melissa Wardy writes over at her wonderful blog Pigtail Pals:

“There’s no PSA. No number to call if you need help. No five seconds of Rihanna saying “No one deserves or asks for violence in their life, please call….blah blah blah” and then a cut to a website for people needing to escape the very same violence that turned her world upside down in early 2009.”

I’ve never been in a violent relationship, although I know girls and women who have. And I also know that it’s more common than you might think:

• 1 in 5 female high school students report being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner
• 1 in 3 teens reports knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped, or physically hurt by their dating partner
• only 33% of teens who were in an abusive relationship ever told anyone about the abuse

Most of all, I know this: love and violence don’t have anything to do with one another. Violence in a relationship is all about control, insecurity, and anger. A healthy relationship should never make you feel bad, insecure, worthless, disrespected, or guilty.

Here’s an abridged list of signs of an abusive relationship as outlined by the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence. Something’s not right in your relationship if your a boyfriend or girlfriend:

• calls you names, puts you down, or belittles you in front of other people
• checks up on you through text messages/phone calls to see where you are/who you are with
• keeps you away from your friends and family
• has to know where you are and who you are with at all times, and insists that you spend all your time together
• checks up on you at home, work, and school and insists you carry a cell phone so he/she can reach you
• threatens to hurt himself/herself or others if you break up with him/her

I’d love to hear what you think… what are your thoughts on the video?

And to read more on this issue, please check out Melissa’s thoughtful posts on this video or these resources she lists on her site.

National Teen Dating Violence Helpline: www.LoveIsRespect.org 1-

National Domestic Violence Hotline: www.ncadv.org 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

Domestic Violence Safety/Escape Checksheet from the Pixel Project, click here

I just read on the awesome blog Feministing about a new ad in a Gap store window that says “Put Some Pants On! Because We Can’t All Look Good in Shorts.” The photo at left was taken by journalist Stephanie Marcus, who writes on her blog:

Sigh. I find this ad more than just a little infuriating. It sends the message that that only certain types, shapes and sizes of bodies are acceptable in certain types of clothing, and worse, that unless you are part of the crowd that fits into this acceptable mold, you’d be better off covering your body up.

Well, that’s a bummer, Gap. Especially since now I won’t be able to shop at your store for shorts, pants, or anything else until you eliminate this offensive ad campaign and apologize for using body shame as a ploy to convince us to buy your clothes.

What message do YOU think this ad puts out there? Are you as offended as I am? If so, let The Gap know by writing to them here.

I just heard about a new online magazine for teens debuting this week called Hardly that I can hardly wait to check out. That’s because it’s being touted as a smarter alternative to many of the magazines available for girls today, and is even drawing comparisons to the now retired Sassy. Will it have the goods? We’ll have to wait for the premiere issue. But a sneak peak of what’s inside, along with an interview with co-editors Jennifer Lee and Laura deCarufel over at the National Post, promises good things.

According to the article, the magazine has a strong focus on alternative culture and the arts, and the first issue will feature diaries from teen girls, an advice column, and internship column, and articles and photo shoots featuring real girls doing their real thing.

Says co-founder Jennifer Lee , “We want Hardly to be a magazine that teenage girls look to for inspiration, a magazine that is a substantial read rather than a how-to guide. I think that the Hardly reader is a girl with a strong sense of individuality that comes from a free-spirited openness — a sense of self that defies easy categories.”

Adds Laura deCarufel, “As a teenager, you’re already always evaluating yourself in relation to the people around you, and in pop culture. It’s depressing how the people who are held up as icons (like the girls on The Hills) seem to have so little substance to offer. But the exciting part is that there are people who are doing great things everywhere, all the time. We want Hardly to introduce teenagers to people that they might not hear about otherwise; we want to  showcase people with real talent—like the musicians, artists, writers, designers who inspired us years ago.”

Sounds like a good read to me. Will post more once the magazine goes live!

Hi Smart Girls!

I’m so excited to share the news that the next 3 teen-authored memoirs in the Louder Than Words series I created for HCI Books comes out today!

In working with this second group of Louder Than Words authors, Hannah Westberg, Alexis Singer, and Chelsea Rae Swiggett, I’ve once again had the honor of supporting and working with three incredible teens who pushed themselves outside their comfort zones, asked the hard questions, and bared their souls. Like the first three memoirs, the newest books in the series deal with similarly pressing, and important, issues.

In Alexis: My True Story of Being Seduced By An Online Predator, author Alexis Singer tells us about getting caught up in an unhealthy cyber-affair with a man she met online. Hannah Westberg gives an intimate glimpse of life as a teen with mental illness in Hannah: My True Story of Drugs, Cutting, and Mental Illness. And lastly, Chelsea Rae Swiggett powerfully writes about the challenges of living with severe anxiety disorder in Rae: My True Story of Fear, Anxiety and Social Phobia.

I hope you read their stories and let the authors speak to you from the page. Because I know that each Louder Than Words author wanted to write their book for exactly that reason—to share what they’ve been through in the hopes of connecting with and helping other teens who might be facing similar challenges.

You can check out the series and get to know the inspiring young authors behind the books on the Louder Than Words site by reading their blogs, listening to their playlists, delving into their bios, and watching the book trailers.

Thanks so much for letting me share my good news with you, and I hope you like the series!

XOXO
Debbie

PS… Watch book trailers for all three memoirs here!