Recent Articles

December 29, 2011
Beyond the Komen Controversy
The Los Angeles Times

December 29, 2011
Should the World of Toys Be Gender-Free?
The New York Times

September 23, 2011
Did I Know You At Camp?
The New York Times Magazine

April 19, 2011
The Trouble with Those Boobies Bracelets
The Los Angeles Times

March 27, 2011
The Good Girl, Miranda Cosgrove
The New York Times Magazine

more articles >

Archive for the Girl Crush Category

Pearls From Ruby

The best thing we can do for our daughters is to teach them, as they get older, to make their own courageous way through the woods of the girlie-girl culture. So what a thrill to read this  blog post by my friend Marcelle’s 11-year-old daughter, Ruby. Ruby wrote it after she and her mom, who live in New York City,  went shopping for her Halloween costume. Needless to say, they didn’t find one, though Ruby sure found her voice. It’s one thing for us adults to talk to girls about the creepy (not in a good way) costumes, but how much more powerful to hear it from a peer! So Ruby and Marcelle, you are my sheroes and here, with her permission, is Ruby’s post: TRICKS AND TREATS: RETURN TO INNOCENCE by Ruby Karp So, you know what time it is! That’s right, Halloween! When you dress up as a scary [...]

Pearls from Ruby

Oops I posted this twice but don’t want to take this down in case it’s the link that gets around. So please see newer version  above!

My Shero–La Rachel Simmons

My Shero--La Rachel Simmons

I love Rachel Simmons. Even though she called me the grandmother of the girls’ movement when I was YOUNGER THAN SHE IS NOW (ahem!). Yes she did. And yet, we have grown to be dear friends. I’m forgiving that way.   Anyway, in addition to her writing, speaking, coaching and work with Simone Marean and Ronald at the marvelous Girls Leadership Institute she has just released  a revised and updated edition of her germinal (not seminal, get it?) book, “Odd Girl Out.” As she writes in the new introduction, ‘I wrote [this] as an observer, but I have revised it as a practitioner.   According to Slate XX , Rachel returns to the material ”with more perspective”: Simmons’s transition has changed her book fundamentally, and for the better. In its original form, Odd Girl Out brought a largely unexamined social problem into the public eye with sensitivity and insight, but offered little by [...]

Forget Harry Potter–The New Miyazaki Looks Like Magic!

Forget Harry Potter--The New Miyazaki Looks Like Magic!

Oh my goodness! More good news! The next Studio Ghibli movie, Arietty, will open in the U.S. in February. Ghibli the Japanese company founded by the visionary auteur Hiyao Miyazaki is responsible for the fight-fun-with-fun screen gems My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away, Ponyo, Castle in the Sky, Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke (not for little ones), all of which feature spectacular, wonderful, natural female protagonists. I could not have gotten through my daughter’s childhood without him. Plus, Miyazaki totally blows out of the water the old chestnut that female protagonists can’t be universal or hold boys’ attention. His  creativity puts Pixar to shame. In fact, John Lassiter idolizes Miyazaki. According to an article in the UK Guardian: Ghibli is often lazily dubbed Japan’s answer to Disney, but the comparison only holds true in terms of box-office sales (Spirited Away is still Japan’s all-time top-grossing film – three other Ghibli films are [...]

Got Role Models?

Got Role Models?

Girls Dominate Google’s Science Fair With Projects On Cancer And Asthma Treatment Need I say more?

CAMD on “Salon”

I had such a good chat with Mary Beth Williams for Salon. She is really, really, REALLY smart.

Major Girl Crush on Rachel Simmons

Rachel is the author of the brilliant  Curse of the Good Girl, Odd Girl Out, and founder of the Girls Leadership Institute. She was kind enough to interview me for her blog.

LOVE THIS!

I love this woman.

She also does Belle and Little Mermaid. Each one is bitingly brilliant. Though I thought of some of the jokes independently and they’re in my book. Right here, right now, for the record: I THOUGHT OF THEM BEFORE I EVER SAW THESE VIDS!!!!  But I still love these.