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Leftovers
Sexy Sue
Yesterday, NPR had an interview with the legendary Canadian sex expert Sue Johanson about sex ed for teenagers as well as changes in sexual appetites in the general population. Sue noted that abstinence-only educations are pointless since "every single sex educator does emphasize abstinence" and she emphasized waiting until you can plan (i.e., get birth control) sex with your partner and be comfortable with your body. She also noted that "Anybody who's old enough to ovulate, to menstruate, to be involved in a sexual relationship is old enough for effective birth control and pulling out is not a method of birth control." Sue added that that teens will always be exposed to sex (with or without their parents' or educators' influence) through music and (gasp!) women's magazines. It appears Sue has no qualms about talking about sex with young people, but what sexual act "scares" her the most? Anal sex, which she says women should be "fearful" about. [NPR]
In The Bag
Female students at Hanover Central High School in Cedar Lake, Indiana are not allowed to have purses in the classroom, reports the Chicago Tribune. Backpacks and book bags have already been banned. The school considers this a safety measure in a post-Columbine world but parents, especially those with daughters, are not happy. According to the Tribune, Janet Brennan stood up in front of the school board and demonstrated how uncomfortable it is to cram feminine hygiene products into pockets already stuffed with a pen, pencil, calculator and other items. "I was trying to make a point," says Brennan, whose daughter is a sophomore. "They have to carry these products in their pocket. Girls that age are easily embarrassed; they don't want people to know they have their period." [Chicago Tribune, UPI]
Leftovers
Police Shut Down 11-Year-Old's Roadside Stand • Black Girls More Likely To Be Beaten At School
Local police in Clayton, CA shut down an 11-year-old girl's fruit and veggie stand, alleging that the stand was basically a gateway business to other things. • Saudis are starting to speak out against the ban on women drivers. • Pregnant women who experience extreme stress caused by situations like a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or sudden death in the family are more likely to give birth to a child who will develop schizophrenia, say researchers. • More »
instrumental differences
British Educators Wonder Why More Girls Don't Play Guitar
Most rock bands these days consist of several near-emaciated, floppy haired boys who wear very tight pants and play their guitars slung low near their penises. Delightful girl group Smoosh (pictured here), notwithstanding, where are all the rocking lady guitarists? Maybe there's a dearth of female guitar players because, as a new report from the UK shows, girls from a very young age are discouraged from playing traditionally "masculine" instruments like guitar and horns, while boys are discouraged from playing traditionally "feminine" instruments like the flute and harp. According to the BBC, the report, published by the British Institute of Education, says, "The size of the instrument (bigger, male), its pitch (higher, female) and the physical characteristics needed to play it could be partly responsible [for the gender preferences]. Another factor may be that brass instruments and drums have long been used militarily and therefore are associated with war." More »
girl-on-girl crime
The Meanest Girls At School Are Often The Most Popular
A recent story out of Florida concerns six teenage girls — cheerleaders — who lured a former friend to a home where they beat her for 30 minutes while videotaping the entire act. They wanted to post the footage on YouTube and MySpace; according to the local news outlet in Orlando, a girl's voice can be heard on the tape saying: "There's only 17 seconds left; make it good." The victim in the attack suffered a concussion, loss of hearing in one ear, damage to her left eye and numerous bruises. And the footage being aired on news outlets is what happened after she was knocked unconscious. But guess what? The girls who participated in the attack probably have more friends than ever. Because new research shows that "Mean Girls" are the most popular girls in school. More »
On Wednesday, following a recent "incident" in which two Colorado 5-year-olds were "investigated" for sexual harassment because they were caught kissing at school, Denver City Councilman Doug Linkhart told the local school board: "It's just getting to the point of ridiculousness where we're prosecuting kids for kissing." No shit! Earlier this year, a 6-year-old Denver boy was reprimanded for telling a classmate that she had a "sexy booty". His parents should probably not let him watch Flavor of Love anymore. [UPI]
gender studies
Should Boys And Girls Be Separated At School?
There's a public school in Alabama where little girls and boys are separated. The girls' classroom walls are yellow, the boys' blue. The girls' room temperature is kept at 75, the boys' at 69. The girls do a "tidy" science experiment with blue and red colored oil and water; the boys watch snakes eat rats. Should boys and girls be taught separately? wonders the Times Magazine writer observing all this. I've always thought "yes" on the basis that I spent most of my time in high school reapplying mascara, plotting the reapplication of mascara and withholding food to attract the attention of boys who I would never (in a million beers!) fuck today. School was just boring, besides this one AP class I had that happened to contain no boys (save for one who was clearly an affirmative action case.) But the case for single-sex education is wayyyy more fraught and elaborate than that, according to Leonard Sax, a family psychologist converted to the cause when a 12-year-old patient started suddenly getting good grades. The boy's mom said she'd simply taken him off the ADD meds and enrolled him in boy's school. "With all due respect, I regard single-sex education as an antiquated relic of the Victorian era," Sax said to her. More »
It All Adds Up
A new study published in the January/February 2008 issue of the journal Child Development states that girls have caught up with boys in terms of math courses — and their friends influence them. Girls look to their close friends when making important decisions, the study found, and girls with friends who make good grades took more high-level math than other teens. Ditching the Plastics to hang with the Mathletes, Ã la Mean Girls, is a scientifically wise choice! [EurekAlert]
A new study published in the January/February 2008 issue of the journal Child Development states that girls have caught up with boys in terms of math courses — and their friends influence them. Girls look to their close friends when making important decisions, the study found, and girls with friends who make good grades took more high-level math than other teens. Ditching the Plastics to hang with the Mathletes, Ã la Mean Girls, is a scientifically wise choice! [EurekAlert]
how young is too young
