Dr. Rebecca Hains
Author, professor and speaker | Children's media culture, media literacy, and media criticism
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Does the “War on Pink” need to stop for boys’ sakes? No, and here’s why.
In a recent blog post on Girl w/Pen, professors CJ Pascoe and Tristan Bridges—sociologists whose work focuses on masculinity—make a strange request of their fellow feminist scholars and activists. “Stop the war on pink,” their headline pleads; “let’s take a look…
Read MoreModern Beauty Standards Imposed on Classic Art Show Narrowness of Today’s Ideal
Many of today’s teenagers believe the Venus de Milo is “fat,” so I digitally retouched a photo of the famous statue to explore the issue.
Read MoreAnti-princess marketing and girls’ education: Mercy Academy vs. GoldieBlox
Water, water everywhere, and all the boards did shrink. Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink. Princesses: They’re everywhere. Over the past decade, marketers have made “princess” a synonym for “girls. They use princesses as shorthand—a way of saying,…
Read MoreWATCH: Rebecca Hains discusses Lululemon body-shaming controversy on TV News
Yesterday, I discussed the Lululemon controversy (and the petition that Marci Warhaft-Nadler and I launched) with both FOX 25 Boston and WBZ-TV (CBS) Boston. Have a look! FOX 25 Boston: Salem State Professor to Lululemon CEO: Change Your Business Practices (4 minutes)…
Read More“Am I Pretty or Ugly” Videos a Symptom of Toxic Media Culture
In recent years, young girls have been posting videos of themselves to YouTube, asking one question: “Am I pretty or ugly?” Over 500,000 of these videos are online, and they’re heart-wrenching to watch. In addition to being incredibly sad, these…
Read MoreBoys and girls and baby dolls
I am supposed to be working, but instead, I am eavesdropping as my four-year-old son, T., and his friend, N., play together with his two baby dolls, Sully and Buddy. T. is walking around with Sully under his shirt. N….
Read MoreA response to Mrs. Hall: Teaching our boys respect and self-control
“FYI (if you’re a teenage girl)“* came up in my facebook news feed a lot yesterday. It’s being shared with such enthusiasm that I was eager to read it. I hoped its advice for teenage girls about their facebook activities…
Read More“Princess park rangers” and “Space princesses”: Because gender stereotypes are inescapable, even on vacation.
The school year is starting. Families are returning home from their vacation travels with souvenirs and many fond memories; children are eager to tell their classmates what they did on their summer vacations. But unfortunately, many families’ travels brought them…
Read MoreDisney faces backlash over new “sexy” Merida; pulls new image from web site as a result
UPDATE, May 16, 2013: Disney has stated that 1. the 2D image was never on their official web site in the first place (though, oddly, it’s all over the official Australia/NZ version of the Disney Princess site–which may have been the source of any…
Read MoreHalloween and the rise of sexy costumes for women and girls
For years, families struck a balance between store-bought and homemade Halloween costumes. But these days, DIY Halloween costumes are out; store-bought costumes are an $2.87 billion business. What does this mean for consumers? Well, for one thing, we’re seeing a…
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Dr. Rebecca Hains 
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