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It's pretty clear that we, as a country, are more overweight than we used to be, but exactly how bad is the problem? Are we in the midst of an unchecked obesity epidemic that is going to cause us to burst at our seams? Or is this whole thing overblown? Luckily, we have some new, high-quality data from the CDC to shed a little bit of light into what's been going on. The data, which comes from 2009-2010 installment of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, shows that obesity, after soaring in the 1980s and 1990s, has finally hit something of a plateau. More »
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A friend of mine sent me a link to "11 Silly Things You Probably Believed As A Kid" yesterday and I surprised myself by clicking on it. More »
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Reader Becky Sayers writes, "I found this on 10 yr old [daughter] Eliza's bulletin board this morning in her room— when I asked her about it, she said it was an "editorial" she wrote last night after looking at the miniboden children's clothing catalog." With permission from both mother and daughter, we happily share this editorial with you. More »
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We already knew Strawberry Shortcake was a sexy goner, but — et tu, Tinkerbell? In this brave new world, every childhood icon is lissome and dressed in tight jeans. And when she's not? Well, let's just say these fairies must have a good waxer. We're not even going to talk about the sexy horse. See the whole gallery here; these are a few we found most disturbing. More »
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She adds: "I will cry about something but I never let anything stop me. I can't be like my mom. I know I can cut ties and still make it. She didn't cut ties when [she] should have." More »
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In our Daddy Issues series, a father of a young daughter seeks guidance, hoping to raise a strong woman. He looks to you, dear readers, for insight. More »
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...and other seemingly-innocuous toys that one shrink says could psychologically scar the young for life (and may have ruined most of us). More »
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"I like to dress up in different kinda clothes, and jewelry," says Dyson, age 5. He especially likes to dress up like a princess. More »
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My mother—like many parents—cried when she left me in my dorm room, a few states away from home. And while that's a natural reaction, some parents are unable to get past those tears and move on. More »
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The whipped cream enthusiast Tweeted, "Grandma brought this one outta the closet today!" More »
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Although the former child star adds, in the September issue of Marie Claire, "But I wouldn't take it back for the world." More »
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I spent most of my young life as "the fat girl." This is what I remember. More »
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These gallery of 27 dolls doesn't include Chucky from Child's Play, but that's probably because he's not chilling enough to rank with these terrifying toy titans. [Urlesque] More »
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My four-year-old nephew recently answered the front door wearing a fireman's hat, a Lightning McQueen shirt, and a pair of my niece's Disney princess shoes, carrying a purse filled with Matchbox cars. "You're a thesis," I said. "Ka-CHOW!" he replied. More »
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Australian writer Steph Bowe got a book deal at fifteen, but felt like a failure for not publishing at thirteen or fourteen. Sounds insane — except that I can relate. More »
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The merchants of pink would have loved School Picture Day at my son's preschool: hardly any other color was visible on the little girls. More »
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Right before Valentine's Day, my orthopedist decided that I should be hospitalized for tests. I'd been having crippling low-back pain for several weeks and the rest, pain medicine, and muscle relaxants he'd prescribed were not making me feel any better. More »
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Some people think so. More »
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Regretsy shoppers, tread lightly: This seemingly innocent porcelain doll, said to be possessed by the malevolent spirit of an 18th century hussy, is not playing. [Regretsy via BuzzFeed] More »
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As Nancy Gibbs writes for Time, the worst toys are "overdesigned, overengineered, the product of so much imagination on the part of the toymaker that they require none from the child." That's why Play-Doh is one of my childhood faves. More »
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First they came for Strawberry Shortcake and we said nothing. Then they came for the Care Bears and we said nothing. But now they've come for Rainbow Brite, and this means war. More »
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Last month, Shameless linked to a blog project called The Amy Diary: A Vancouver woman posts her junior high diaries. It's a unique perspective into the mind, lingo and anxieties of young girls. So I dug up my old diaries. More »
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Two different stories about selfish dads seem sad and totally retro: More »
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Scientists allege it's possible to predict whose marriages will fail by looking at "smile intensity" in childhood photographs. More »
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Today Good Morning America had a follow up on a ballet school in Iraq that is rebuilding after losing its piano player and almost all of its students during the war. More »
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A piece of notebook paper once told me who I would marry. Actually this happened many times, revealing many different grooms, but my faith in the fortune-telling powers of cootie-catchers was never shaken. More »
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If it's ever seemed like Ernest Hemingway was suspiciously eager to prove his masculinity, this may provide a clue as to why: as a child, his mother dressed him in drag. More »
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We were very excited when we heard about "I Was A Highlights Kid", a site created literally just for adults to reminisce about Highlights! The classic children's magazine was founded in 1946, and features like "The Timbertoes" and "Hidden Pictures" were childhood constants for generations. On the site, not only can you submit your fond fun-with-a-purpose memories, you can caption your own "Goofus and Gallant" cartoons AND take an "Are You Goofus or Gallant" quiz? (Sadie was 60% Goofus.) Even you highbrow Cricket readers will get a nostalgic thrill when you see the logo — even if you do associate it with bubblegum-flavored fluoride. [USA Today] More »
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Listen, we don't fear change, but sometimes change sucks. Especially when it tampers with your childhood memories. In the vein of Strawberry Shortcake, the murder-mystery board game Clue has gotten a makeover. The new game has nine weapons instead of six; there's no lead pipe, and the revolver is now a pistol. They've added a trophy, an ax and a baseball bat. Plus, the game now takes place at a modern mansion - more Cribs than Masterpiece Theater. "We wanted something the kids would feel like it belonged to them," Hasbro's Rob Daviau says. That doesn't explain why there's a Catherine Zeta-Jones look-alike on the box. Miss Scarlett, is that you? (Click to enlarge image.) [NPR] More »
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Suspicious news out today: Malia and Sasha Obama get weekly allowances of: ONE DOLLAR A WEEK. Now, I understand that those two don't exactly have to worry about filling up the Dodge Ram in times like this, but seriously, a dollar? About the best thing one dollar will get you these days is four chicken McNuggets. (Or wait, two cigarettes.) Even I recall getting three dollars, I think, although I don't remember because I am fucking old, but anyway, presupposing that in today's dollars that is $5.78. Of course, slut dolls and handheld electronic toys were probably made in countries with higher living standards than Laos in those days, but that is more than offset by the fact that Crayola crayons are not only still manufactured in Pennsylvania, rising commodity prices have sent the price of a 24-crayon box soaring to $4.95. That's 35 made beds. More »
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Summer's here, and everyone wants to take a dip, even if, nowadays, you can't slip into a swimsuit without slathering on sunscreen and finding a way to cover up whatever body insecurity Vogue magazine helped you develop. But! Remember the days when bellies hung over swim-bottoms without care, SPF never went over 15 and suits were caked in sand, sparkles, and floaters from the baby pool? We do, and that is why we are making July's Past Fashion all about our childhood swimming costumes. We know what you may be thinking: kids in swimsuits? For all the world's pervs to see? Well, let's go back to a time when frolicking around in a tankini wasn't so sexualized. (Look, I did it! That's my brother and I above, looking like the quintessential O.C. beach bums that we were: neither of us have been blonder, browner, or more willing to appear in a photo in our swimsuits since.) Send your photos to photos@jezebel.com by July 20. Please send the year the photo was taken and its location (we will not name you or show your face if you request). And after the jump, check out some inspiration I've provided. More »
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As a grown woman who had every intention of dressing as Strawberry Shortcake for Halloween (my boyfriend was going to be the Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak), I am furious at American Greetings Properties' decision to give Shortcake a "fruit-forward" makeover. As part of a growing toy-industry trend (Care Bears are getting slimmed down; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be more pumped, less aggro), vintage brands are being reworked to appeal to the kids, while still playing on young parents' nostalgia. In the case of Shortcake (who's getting a new TV show and a computer-animated movie), the emphasis is less on sugar, more on fresh fruit. Says a company rep, "We're downplaying characters that were part of Strawberry's world but who didn't immediately shout out fruit." The new Shortcake also rocks a more streamlined look and talks on a cellphone all the time. More »
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Reader Jesslyn emailed us with a link to Babyland General Hospital. Remember Cabbage Patch Kids? Do you remember how they came into this world? The little suckers were "born" out of the recesses of leafy vegetation. On a farm. And "due to an unexpected frost," there were preemies. And the preemies lived in little incubators until you adopted them. Is any of this creepy to anyone else? If not, wait 'til you hear about My Little Placenta™. Kidding! [Cabbage Patch Kids Official Website] More »
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So it's not even 5 pm yet and it's almost completely dark outside and apparently ass-chappingly cold (so I hear! Not that I've been outside today), and it makes me want to crawl under the covers and hibernate until conditions are less soul sucking. Oh, can you tell I have a history of depression? Smart girl! But according to a new study I should be a reasonably happy adult because I was such a sizable baby. "We found that even people who had just mild or moderate symptoms of depression or anxiety over their life course were smaller babies than those who had better mental health," says Ian Colman of the University of Alberta. A completely unscientific poll of three people (myself included) with a history of depression shows that we were ALL big infants, each of us weighing in at over 8lbs. After the jump, an even less scientific poll, just 'cause I'm curious. More »
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