Lead, Don't Follow

Sixteen year old Tatiana Tye blames the fact that she was a follower and not a leader as the reason for her getting into the business of recruiting and pimping out other teen girls.

Circumstances that brought Tatiana to this point are not clear but a question one might ask is, how did this happen?

At what point did she cease to (or did she ever) feel strong within herself to avoid making decisions to get her into this situation.

How can instances like this be avoided? What is our role in looking out for and making sure all girls (and boys) grow up safe, happy and confident.

We can't save the world but we can definitely reach out and help someone we think might be going down a rocky path.

Deal?

What a drag.

According to a new study conducted by the Department of Health in Helsinki, female teen smokers are more likely to experience obesity as adults.

The study also found that smoking during adolescence does not predict weight problems for men.

Who Wears The Pants?

An Indiana Girl (who is remaining unnamed) is suing her school because of their refusal to allow her to wear a tuxedo to the school prom.

The girl's attorney at the ACLU of Indiana argues that the district's policy violates the U.S. Constitution and the students First Amendment right to free speech. He also states that this is in violation of Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in school.

It seems like there really shouldn't be a problem here. A girl wants to wear pants instead of a dress. Is this really such a big deal? What do you think is behind the school not wanting her to wear a tux?

What if it was a guy that wanted to wear a dress ? One student in Wisconsin did, see image below and click on link to read his story.

What if the student wanted to wear a barely there outfit instead?

Do you think there needs to be gender specific dress codes for prom?

Have Dinner Ready!

In the May 13, 1955 issue of Housekeeping Monthly , a handy list was published on how to keep your husband happy. If this article is in fact real, it was probably written by a woman. Check it out and see if you agree with the tips.

In light or womens history month however, look how far we've come. Additionally, as part of the Women's History Month Celebration, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has launched the New York City Women's Resource Network, which is a free, online, searchable database of over one thousand nonprofit organizations and government agencies that provide a variety of services to women and families in New York City.

Sexting

One national study reports that as many as 20 percent of teens have participated in the practice of sexting, sending or posting nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves via cell phone.

Jesse Logan took her own life after a nude picture she took of herself was passed around through email. She originally sent to the photo to her boyfriend and he then sent it to other girls at their high school after she broke up with him.

Teens that might've usually felt invincible are now beginning to realize that there are consequences for their actions. Developmentally, at this young stage in life, some people argue that teens aren't yet able to fully comprehend the idea of consequences.

Gigi Stone of abc news points out that "the dangerous combination of teenagers behaving provocatively and impulsively is not new, but the accessibility to the technology is."

What do you think?

That's so ????

It seems like the trend of using the phrase "That's So Gay" is hopefully coming to an end. The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) joined with The Advertising Council to launch the first national multimedia public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to address the use of anti-gay language among teens.

Check out one of the many ads in the campaign.

It's pretty much to the point.