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Posted by Susan Carney Mar 2, 2007 |
Often I see stories in the news that remind me how our culture, and the choices we make as a society, impact the healthy development of kids. This week, I saw plenty of these stories, and many prompted me to comment on them through this site.
Over the next few days I will address the mass eviction of 23 members of the Delta Zeta sorority at DePauw University in Indiana. The reason for the departure of these women remains under debate. Was it a matter of “lack of commitment to recruitment goals” (whatever the means), as the national officers claim, or a surprisingly bold and biased attempt to clean house and repopulate the fraternity with more “conventionally pretty” members? Uggh! We’ll talk about this, and the impact promoting stereotypes and focusing on style over substance has on the development of our girls.
We’ll also talk about the Gardasil controversy. This is not the first time that health care has become a political issue. But it does raise interesting questions about the politicizing of girls’ health. Think about it: if this was a vaccine for AIDS, or a cancer caused by a sexually transmitted virus in men, would we even be having this argument? Would we seriously be talking about sacrificing good health and lives because of a sexual morals issue? Doubt it!
Please check out my article on advertising in schools, Books, Pizza Hut, and Bratz Dolls. As this pertains more to children than teens, it’s not published in the YD section. However, since I have received such positive feedback about the pieces I have published regarding marketing to teens, we will continue to feature these types of articles in YD in the future.
As always, PLEASE feel welcome to post a comment on an article or issue by using the “start discussion” button. I want to hear your thoughts! And judging by the number of people who read the discussion threads, so does everyone else!
For an update of the Delta Zeta debale, check out Sorority Gets the Boot.