Media

Guest Post: Collective Shout for a world free of sexploitation

By Melinda Tankard Reist Collective Shout is a new grassroots movement mobilising and equipping individuals and groups to target corporations, advertisers, marketers and media which objectify women and sexualise girls to sell products and services. Most young women don’t like themselves very much. In fact, self-hatred has been described as a right-of-passage for teenage girls. [...]

To use or not to use: plus size models in fashion

65% of Australian women are a size 14-16 The 15th annual Australian Fashion week has come to a close for yet another year. Last year many designers embraced "body diversity" by using plus size models. Cynics like Garance Dore feel this was just a ‘gimmick’ used by the fashion houses to gain publicity and attract new [...]

Tweens getting into beauty treatments before puberty

The media has recently reported a string of stories concerning the sexualisation of young girls and the anxiety they are facing with increasing pressure on them to look ‘sexy’ when they are younger and younger. The most recent story concerns the new trend of letting ‘tweens’ get their legs waxed, this follows the ‘push up [...]

The impact on children of sexualisation in the media

Writer Professor Louise Newman. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists is concerned about the sexualisation of children in the contemporary media. Professor Louise Newman, of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, recently presented ‘Too hot to handle: The psychological impact of sexualisation in the media’ at the Australian Conference [...]

The Story of Stuff – the bonds of commercialism that bind young people

It is becoming increasingly evident that children are being targeted by the media from a very young age. They are being encouraged to become consumers before they can walk, spell, read or write. How? Through advertising and strategically placed marketing campaigns. Australian author and Generation Next speaker, Maggie Hamilton points out in her book “What’s [...]

Guest Post: The call to protect children from soft porn

Guest Post: Julie Gale. Director, Kids Free 2B Kids. Note: This blog necessarily contains explicit material not suitable for children and which may offend some readers. "It is a continual frustration that the media will not print examples of covers of pornographic material sold within view and access of children. (or examples of content and [...]

Television increases risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer

Australian Research has found a link between watching television and ill health, finding that each hour of TV per a day that people watch increases their overall risk of dying form all causes by 11 per cent. The study, published in the journal Circulation, also found that the additional hour increases the risk of dying [...]

Guest Post: The Positive Body Image Debate

By Melinda Hutchings. Last week an intense debate erupted over Jennifer Hawkins appearing naked and unretouched on the cover of the current issue of Marie Claire – and whether she represents a role model for positive body image. Media personality Bianca Dye, who also posed nude for a recent issue of Madison, made the point [...]

Author criticises magazine's supermodel covergirl for “love-yourself-just-as-you-are” campaign

Melinda Tankard Reist appeared in The Australian this weekend in an article criticising magazine Marie Claire’s use of a ‘real’ image of supermodel Jenifer Hawkins to launch their “love-yourself-just-as-you-are” campaign. SHOCK horror: nude supermodel has dimple on thigh. In a move labelled daring and revolutionary, this month's edition of Marie Claire features nude photos of [...]

Police operation to target drunken violence this weekend

Police in capital cities around Australia and New Zealand are tonight preparing for a weekend of high-visibility policing aimed at reducing alcohol fuelled violence. The two day blitz titled Operation Unite will start tonight at 6pm, and will focus on tackling alcohol fuelled crime and anti-social behaviour, especially violence. Thousands of extra police will be [...]

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