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Posts Tagged ‘girls’
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A Modesty Proposal: Hurley’s Bikinis Are Good for Girls
By Daddy Clay Thursday, September 20th, 2012
A new line of bathing suits for young girls introduced by model/actress Elizabeth Hurley has sparked a minor new media uproar and drawn criticism from a number of quarters. Critics have condemned the suits and the celebrity for contributing to the increased sexualization of girls in our culture. They site not only the suits themselves, but the “provocative” poses the girl models in the ads strike.
I personally think the most obscene thing about these suits is the price. Read the rest of this entry »
Guardians of Virtue
By Daddy Clay Monday, June 4th, 2012
The glowering dad and the awkward suitor, it’s the fatherhood cliché that has spawned a thousand commercials and movie scenes. Entire cinematic franchises have been build around the notion of the old man, shotgun at the ready, on guard to protect his daughter’s virtue. Have you Met the Fockers?
But the media is about as accurate a reflection of reality as a Picasso, while being a shitload less inspiring.
Which leaves me wondering what a dad’s role in the sexual safekeeping of a daughter should be. Read the rest of this entry »
I Love the HPV Vaccine, Warts and All
By Daddy Clay Monday, September 19th, 2011
There’s a Gardasil controversy?
There may be some wacky chatter between walleyed politicians. There may be concerns the Mirada Cosgrove is ushering in a new era of free love. There may be widespread conviction that our governmental institutions are staffed by overpaid, underworked, slacking remora.
But there is no Gardasil controversy.
After human trials on almost 30,000 people, Gardasil was approved by the FDA for prevention of infection by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) more than five years ago. Its use is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the World Health Organization — which notes that the cervical cancers caused by HPV are the second greatest cause of female mortality due to cancer in the world. Read the rest of this entry »
Toy Fairy Day 2
By Daddy Clay Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
For those of you who are worried that your need for branded goods from Hannah Montana and High School Musical will never be met: rest easy. I can report from the New York Toy Fair 2008 that there will be enough Hannah Montana plastic makeup kits and board games and karaoke machines to thoroughly decorate all the concentric rings of hell.
The other trend I noticed this year: no less than eight booths hawking testing gear and laboratory analysis to toy store owners and manufacturers. I demo-ed one hand held lead detector that was pretty cool. Instead of hiring washed up actors to deliver powerpoint presentations on the history of toy safety and blasting it over the PA, and PR teams to prowl the show floor, maybe the TIA or the CPSC should pop for a couple of these and, you know, pass ‘em around.
One PC note: a majority of these booths were staffed exclusively by Asian men. I did not confirm that these gents were Chinese, but wouldn’t that be a Wharton School-worthy case study of creating a market and offering a solution? Could they not get together and handle this whole lead issue on the other side of the Pacific? Am I channeling Archie Bunker right now?
But my two least favorite aspects of the show have to be the “Game Center” and the Pink Plastic Sequin Explosion Booths. The “Game Center” is on the lower level, and it’s a cluster of booths where mostly husband and wife teams stands and pitch their board games. I break into a trot down the aisles of this section hoping to avoid “the look.” The We-Just-Took-Out-a-Second-Mortgage-to-Follow-the-Dream look. These poor folks with trepidation and hope in their eyes, having left the good day job and dumped the life savings into what they hope will be the next big thing. I know the look well.
And then there are the Girl Booths. About every fifth one is a complete Pinxsplotion, full of frilly costumes and makeup kits and every other thing a father of daughters needs to be on guard against. We have to stand on the barricades, on guard against the pinkification of girlhood.
Now pink on a dude…that’s perfectly cool.
