Dr. Rebecca Hains
Author, professor and speaker | Children's media culture, media literacy, and media criticism
Archives
Sexy Halloween Costumes Reveal the Truth about Girls’ Toys
Do you object to sexy Halloween costumes for little girls? When you compare the “Little Leopard” costume for young girls to the adult “Sexy Leopard” costumes, do you cringe? When you see children’s classic Disney Princess costumes placed literally steps…
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 MoreCampaign for Commercial-Free Childhood fights to save Tooth Fairy from corporate makeover
For children, losing one’s baby teeth is an important rite of passage. It marks a child’s departure from early childhood and entry into middle childhood–a time when, among other milestones, a child’s belief in magic begins to recede. Because of…
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…
Read MoreKatniss Everdeen: The First Post-Girl Power Hero
When I saw The Hunger Games on its opening weekend, I was really struck by something: Although the sexualization of girls and women is rampant in the media, Katniss Everdeen is not sexualized. Not at all. Take a look at these…
Read MoreChallenging our assumptions: Is there anything good about Bratz?
Bratz dolls came back on the market this fall. They’d been out of production for a few years while their maker, MGA, fought a legal battle with Mattel. MGA emerged victorious—and critics everywhere shook their heads. What good can come…
Read More
Dr. Rebecca Hains 
You must be logged in to post a comment.