It’s always interesting to me how classic feminist “issues” transmit from one generation to the next. A new study by University of California Santa Cruz professor Campbell Leaper and others finds that 90 percent of girls between ages 12 and 18 report experiencing sexual harassment. The most commonly report forms of harassment are unwanted romantic attention, demeaning gender-related comments, teasing based on appearance, and unwanted physical contact. The difference, according to researchers, is that there’s more awareness of the impropriety of such behaviors. The study acknowledges that girls who have a better understanding of feminism from media, parents or teachers are more likely to recognize sexual harassment. But as reported in Bizwomen, “What the study didn’t say is what they did about it.”

On the heels of yesterday’s post about progressives using video and YouTube to publicize causes comes a new video from the Girls Gotta Run Foundation—an org that supports girls in Ethiopia by supporting their atheletism. Research finds that girls who train to run over there are more likely to stay in school. Girls who stay in school are better able to improve their own lives and the lives of their families. The athletic shoes necessary for professional training and competition are expensive and out of reach for most of them. So a group of artists and others who care organized to raise money to buy shoes for the girls. You can check out the video here.

I’m a little slow getting back here today, but just wanted to post a heads up on an anthology I just learned about and will be talking about soon. It’s called Feminist Coalitions: Historical Perspectives on Second-Wave Feminism in the United States, edited by Stephanie Gilmore, Asst. Prof of Women’s Studies at Dickinson College. Sara Evans wrote the forward. The book comes out June 2. More soon!

I recently learned about GoLeft.org, a web-based project designed to assist small, local, progressive groups around the country by attracting volunteers and other resources to their work. What piqued my interest was their approach–they videos as their primary means of linking progressive non-profit organizations to similar and likeminded people across the country, and they’re also into the politics of pop culture. And ok ok, I admit, they got my attention because they just released a guide to help steer conversations after viewing “Sex and the City” later this month.

The discussion guide is available for download at GoLeft.org, where visitors also find blog posts tackling the day’s progressive issues and how they relate to current goings-on in the world of pop culture. I like the flavor of their news page and wonder if it’s possible to get it yet as a feed. Hmm.

The Mama PhD gals have started their blogging over at Inside Higher Ed–and what interesting timing. Turns out two new studies suggest that academe may hinder parenthood, and that as a result many female academics may be opting not to have kids. Watch for the Mama PhD anthology in July.

I’m taking off for the weekend soon and before I go, I wanted to leave you with the new video from the Women’s Media Center. Do check it out. It’s well done. I particularly like the creepy music and the sassy quotes interlaid with the medley of media clips.

Says Carol Jenkins,

“As our new video shows, the media’s sexism is not specific to a candidate or campaign. But the presence of a woman, front and center on the national political stage, has sent shockwaves through a media grappling with ongoing problems of diversity. Hillary Clinton’s campaign has cast a spotlight on the institutionalized sexism that The Women’s Media Center was founded in 2005 to combat, providing us with a unique moment to examine ourselves and the media we consume.”

Nice, WMC!

University of Iowa journalism professor M. Gigi Durham has a debut book out called The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About It. And it’s about time. If I see one more ad for Beyonce’s clothing line featuring tarted up toddlers working it, I’m going to scream.

Here’s word on the book from Publisher’s Weekly:

We’ve all seen it–the tiny T-shirts with sexually suggestive slogans, the four-year-old gyrating to a Britney Spears song, the young boy shooting prostitutes in his video game–and…Durham has had enough. In her debut book, she argues that the media–from advertisements to Seventeen magazine–are circulating damaging myths that distort, undermine and restrict girls’ sexual progress. Durham, who describes herself as “pro-girl” and “pro-media,” does more than criticize profit-driven media, recognizing as part of the problem Americans’ contradictory willingness to view sexualized ad images but not to talk about sex. Chapters expose five media myths: that by flaunting her “hotness” a little girl is acting powerfully; that Barbie has the ideal body; that children–especially little girls–are sexy; that violence against women is sexy; and that girls must learn what boys want, but not vice versa. After debunking each myth, Durham offers practical suggestions for overcoming these falsehoods, including sample questions for parents and children. In a well-written and well-researched book, she exposes a troubling phenomenon and calls readers to action.

May this book–and its message–travel far and wide. For Salon’s review, click here.

Interesting exchange going on over at feministing about a Glamocracy post by Fernanda Diaz arguing that Hillary has “ruined it” for future female politicians by being “unfeminine.” As my friends at Catalyst have said and shown again and again, a woman leader is damned if she does and doomed if she don’t. It’s dispiriting to me to hear the aggressive = unfeminine argument coming from a next-generation younger woman. I mean, unreconstructed/threatened men, sure. But I just hate it how women ourselves can sometimes be our own worst enemy. You know?

Girls Write Now, my #1 favorite organization to get girls writing, is holding its Spring Reading at the Tribeca Barnes and Noble on June 8. Join me there? For more on what this amazing org is up to, check out their spring newsletter. (And if you share my love for this org and are feeling generous, donate here!)

I’m feeling rather proud this morning. I figured out how to upload a pdf to my blog. Small potatoes, perhaps, but I’m stoked. Here it is: