Evolution
This video is amazing, I love Dove!
To learn more about The Self Esteem Fund, or to view a higher-res version of this video, visit The Campaign for Real Beauty.
Human Trafficking
Another good article:The Vatican on the Human Slave Trade.
There is a Russian film called Lilja 4-ever, about a Russian girl who gets tricked into going to Sweden, only to become a sex slave. It’s a poignant introduction to the widespread practice of abducting girls and selling them, which happens to thousands of women a year all over the world-specifically from Eastern Europe. Protection Project said in 2001 that more than 2 million women and children were sold into the sex trade every year.
Last year, Lifetime did a special on the topic called Human Trafficking. You can visit the website to see clips from the movie, which raised a lot of awareness about the subject.
Last month, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced almost $8 million in additional funding to create 10 new anti-trafficking task forces. The Trafficking in Persons Report by the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons said:
“In the 2004 Report, we used U.S. Government data that disaggregated transnational trafficking in persons by age and gender for the first time. This data shows that, of the estimated 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children trafficked across international borders each year, approximately 80 percent are women and girls, and up to 50 percent are minors. The data also demonstrated that the majority of transnational victims were trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation.”
Danielle
I was looking up something for work at the post.com when I found this post on the Celebritology blog.
It talks about Maxim magazine’s list of “TV’s Least Appealing Ladies”.
People wonder why women everywhere (even smart, interesting, and beautiful ones like the those in Maxim’s list) struggle with self-esteem issues.
However, during a recent America’s Next Top Model marathon, one of the models, Danielle, was told by Tyra that she either had to “Close the gap, or go home” (in reference to a gap between her two front teeth). Danielle faced the dilemma of whether to just go home, or to continue in the competition. She kept saying “I love my gap, it’s me, it’s my trademark.”
But, she ended up getting the gap partially closed (not fully, it was still there), continuing in the competition.. and eventually, WINNING! (I told you it was a marathon). It just makes you smile to know that there are strong women out there who take pride in their unique beauty- even when supermodels and magazine execs tell them it’s not there.
Modern-Day Evolution
I heard on the radio this morning that you can actually choose the sex of your baby. Here’s an excerpt from WAMU’s Market Morning Report’s piece entitled “I’ll Have a Girl, Please”:
JENNIFER MERRILL THOMPSON: “I really, really wanted a daughter, and I knew that technology was probably the only way it was going to happen for me. And we didn’t want to keep having boy after boy. I didn’t want to have a huge family, so we were willing to spend the money to do Microsort.It took Thompson about two years and over $12,000 to conceive Rachel using a special sperm sorting technology that’s still not widely available.
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Richard L. Berke, assistant managing editor of the NY Times, is answering questions online this week about their front-page selections. It’s really interesting to see the way that he answers questions about bias in the Times and story selection.
AND for those of you who care, my job is great! I love it and it’s so exciting to finally be working. I love riding the train in the morning, walking downtown, all the ties and shoes and briefcases. All the business.