Rihanna's comment earlier this week that "if you don't send your boyfriend naked pictures, then I feel bad for him" seemed shocking, but it may simply reflect how common the practice has become. An AP-MTV poll surveyed 1,247 young people between 14 and 24, and found that about a third had either sent or received naked pictures via text or email. This might sound like standard rainbow-party-style alarmism — but the poll also found that 61% of those who'd sent a picture of themselves felt pressured to do so. A Louisiana 25-year-old explained, "It's just when you're talking to a guy who's interested in you, and you might have a sexual relationship, so they just want to see you naked." The AP and MTV apparently don't count this kind of pressure as a form of "digital abuse," but they still find that said abuse is prevalent — about half of respondents have suffered it. Those who have experienced digital abuse are three times as likely to consider suicide as other young people, and three times as likely to think about dropping out of school. 12% of kids who had engaged in sexting had considered suicide, although the study didn't examine whether their suicidal thoughts were prompted by the sexting itself.

The AP and MTV's definition of digital abuse encompassed behaviors like digital blackmail, but the most common form was a smear campaign. And this, essentially, is what happened to Hope Witsell. Below is her mother's appearance on the Today Show yesterday morning.

Hope Witsell committed suicide after a topless photo she sent to a boy she liked made the rounds at her school, and led not only to unrelenting taunts by her classmates but to a suspension from school. The latter — and the tone of MSNBC's accompanying article on the tragedy — indicate that adults might still be taking the wrong approach to sexting. Michael Inbar writes that "one impetuous move robbed Hope of her childhood, and eventually, her life." He also says, that Hope's "life, once so promising, unraveled after one mistake." But while sending a topless photo isn't a smart thing for a 13-year-old girl to do, it wasn't her "mistake" that caused her death — it was the harassment she endured. And while it's wise to teach kids not to sext each other, it's not fair to suspend them for it without punishing the kids who subsequently bully them.

Obviously it's easier for schools to target the subject of a naked picture than the many students who forward it around. But it's those kids — the ones who think a naked picture makes a girl a "slut," or that it's okay to call her one in the hallways — who most need to change their behavior. The AP-MTV study is most useful insofar as it shows how common it's become for young people to use technology to abuse one another. It's this abuse that needs attention — and appropriate punishment — if we want to prevent tragedies like Hope Witsell's death from happening again.

Poll Finds Sexting Common Among Young People [AP]
Survey: One Third Of Youths Have Engaged In Sexting [Wired]
‘Sexting' Bullying Cited In Teen's Suicide [MSNBC]

Well, yes, on some levels. Edward Cullen is both predatory and alluring; much is made of his beauty and his uniqueness, and the risks of dating a vampire who has to fight his own urges carries a sense of danger and excitement that might appeal to some readers. He is your standard tortured bad boy with a (questionable) heart of gold and, well, skin that happens to sparkle in the sun.

I've often taken shots at Edward Cullen, as I find the character, and the relationship he shares with Bella Swan, to be quite creepy; Cullen, to me, reads as extremely controlling and stalker-esque, and I find it hard to believe in their romance when there appears to be so much fear and intimidation involved. However, I often wonder how I would have viewed this book when I was younger, say 13 or so, before I'd ever been in a relationship of my own. As much as I hate to admit it, I think I might have loved Edward Cullen, as well, just as I loved Billy Corgan or Trent Reznor, for being dark but pretty and for seeming slightly dangerous but like they understood what I was thinking as the rest of the world didn't.

For all of his creepiness, Edward Cullen is really just the latest scream-worthy dude that's driving the kids crazy. My mother flipped out over George Harrison, much to my grandparents' dismay. My older sister had a picture of INXS on the wall and kissed it whenever she could. My parents used to shake their heads as I smeared my eyes in black kohl and walked around moping to Siamese Dream. Every one has their unrequited teenage crush; it just seems like teenagers are all zeroing in on the same kid at the same time.

Edward Cullen may come in a different, darker package, but he still represents your typical teenage Tiger Beat dream boat: he wants only you, girl, he'll always be true, girl, he'll totally wait till you're married, girl, there's nobody else in the world for him, girl, he may be bad, but he'll be good to you, girl, etc. He's the guy you can dream about making out with, because you know you'll never make out with him. He represents the kind of love that never comes with rejection, because you know he's not real and you could never have him anyway. He's a safe means of falling in love for those who desperately want to know what it feels like.

The troublesome aspect of the Edward Cullen adoration, of course, is that girls will grow up believing that a boy who sneaks in to your room to watch you sleep is a real catch, as opposed to a total psychopath, and that the disturbing aspects of the Cullen/Swan relationship will stick with teenage girls as a marker of what "real love" is supposed to be. However, I think at times we don't give teenage girls enough credit for growing up and out of these phases; one hopes that if the world presents them with the right education regarding healthy relationships, they'll eventually see that Edward and Bella aren't exactly the ideal, and perhaps their teenage crushes will turn into adult eye rolls.

Who you are and what you believe about love when you're 13 is rarely who you are and what you believe about love when you get older; there are difficult lessons to learn and crushes that will eventually fade away. If there's one answer to why teenage girls love Edward Cullen so much, I'd argue that it's because teenage girls love love so much, and all that comes with it, and Cullen just happens to be the hottest representative of romance in the 7th grade right now. He's an extremely flawed representative, there's no doubt about that, and I hope someone else comes along to knock him off soon, if only because I think teenage girls deserve a better imaginary boyfriend to share initial hearts with in their notebooks.

So what say you, commenters? Would you be into Edward Cullen if you were 13? And did you learn anything from your imaginary teenage crushes?

Why Have Teenage Girls Been Bitten By The Edward Cullen Bug To Devour The Twilight Novels [Guardian]

The FBomb has been online since March, and through the summer, most of the posts were written by its 16-year-old founder, Julie Zeilinger. But as she told Nikki Darling, her goal was always to provide a space for young feminists to express themselves, not to be the sole voice on the site. She explained:

The fbomb doesn't actually have any "regular" writers (as of yet) — I take submissions from anybody who wants to post. That's how I want the fbomb to be different. It's not my blog. I may have started it, but I really want it to be open to all teenage feminists, give them a chance to say whatever they want.

In the past few weeks, the site has come closer to meeting that goal. Zeilinger still posts frequently, but there are more items written by other contributors. While the site drew some negative comments from adults making tired arguments about the definition of feminism early on, the commenters now seem to be a younger, yet still diverse, group that adds thoughtful discourse to the site.

Last week Zeilinger posted a question about dating sent to her by a reader named Tinnie, who said,

My mother never taught me how to test a guy for closeted sexism or male supremacy. I want to know if any of you younger feminists have a theory on how to address this and if it worked.

Among the many commenters who weighed in with their advice and shared their stories was a high school student from the U.K., a girl from the Middle East, college students, lesbians, older married women, and a male high school student who calls himself a feminist.

Other contributors have brought up issues that teens who are in high school or starting college deal with every day, but that adult bloggers may not address in a way that's relevant to teens. Nellie B wrote that she feels uncomfortable when her high school teachers call her "sweetie" or "hon." She says:

These uncomfortable "terms of endearment," as I suppose these patronizing monikers qualify as, are not meant to be degrading and uncomfortable. I'm sure the intent is that us gals should be flattered that we are called pet names. However, as I'd like to remind them, I am not a wife, girlfriend or daughter. Every student deserves to be addressed respectfully. Inappropriate affection should not be mistaken for respect. Notice, also, that male students are not called "honey" or "babe." No, if they are called nicknames at all, it is something like "buddy," or "pal"– something that signifies their status as an equal to the teacher.

A dance on Leah RD's third day of college led her to proclaim that "the 'grinding' phenomenon demands a discussion." She writes:

Let's be honest: grinding is basically simulated sex on the dance floor. I try to be sex-positive and am generally comfortable with open expressions of sexuality. But isn't dry sex in a public setting, and with someone who you've known for less than a week, just kind of awkward? For me, yes. Maybe for some it's not, but this questions leads to the broader idea of consent and its applications. Consent doesn't only belong in the bedroom; consent should follow ambiguity wherever it may lead, which, in this setting, is the dance floor.

Sheridan T shared a personal story about becoming a feminist after she realized she and her friends spent too much time trying to perfectly apply their makeup and attract boys. She said:

My mother was the epitome of the middle-aged feminist. She gently pushed to help me make the right decisions. But I didn't listen to her because she wasn't like me – she was old and wrinkly and had bad hair and too much cellulite. Or so I believed… And then it dawned on me. My mother is a beautiful woman. A few months ago, I read The Beauty Myth. And I cried. Because what I was living wasn't rewarding in the least. And then I realized that the friends I considered beautiful were also the most fucked up. They have perfect body and facial preportions, but they aren't happy.

Other posts highlight awesome projects other young women are working on. Diane A writes that she and fellow FBomb contributor Nellie B are in a Women's Advocacy Group at their high school in Maryland and shared photos (including the one at the top of this post) of some of the signs they hung up for their school's Homecoming week. She says:

Our decorations didn't exactly fit into the designated "Las Vegas" theme, but they definitely caused a stir... Little groups would gather between classes to read all the posters, and I heard a lot of people say things like, "Wow I had no idea." This hallway represents one aspect of our group's mission to make sure "feminism" is not a dirty word in our high school. Plus, in the first few days no posters were torn down and there was only one act of vandalism, which is definitely a record!

In an interview with Bust Zeilinger said she was inspired to start The FBomb because she enjoyed adult feminist blogs but felt they were missing the teenager's perspective. She explained:

I think in a lot of ways this is because most teenage feminists aren't as comfortable or confident in their feminism as older feminists are, and don't tend to put themselves out there as much, but that's exactly why we need the fbomb - so young feminists can be confident, express themselves, and so we can build a community.

As the blog attracts more contributors and commenters, it's becoming not just a place for young feminists to voice there opinions, but for teenagers to help each other figure out where they stand and how feminism relates to their lives. We hope to see even more teens - female and male - dropping FBombs in the future.

Speaking Of Heroes... An Interview with FBombs Julie Zeilinger [Nikki Darling]
How Do Young Feminists Make Relationship Possible? [The FBomb]
Dealing with "Terms Of Endearment" [The FBomb]
Grinding [The FBomb]
The Development Of A Feminist [The FBomb]
Homecoming Week Montgomery Blair High School Style [The FBomb]
The FBomb: A Blog Young Feminists Can Swear By [Bust]

Earlier: F-bombs: Feminist Teen Blog Starts Strong Despite Adult Sniping

There is, apparently, an epidemic of possible miscegenation at work: Jewish girls are dating Arab boys, and someone has to stop it. So, since there's apparently no shortage of available zealous busybodies who have nothing better to do after-hours, several troupes of vigilantes have formed amongst Jewish men who hope to "save" the young girls for themselves. With names like "Love of Youth" and "Fire for Judaism," they prowl those areas where teen couples are known to congregate and perform interventions with tactics not unlike those of abortion protesters, trying to save "problem cases" by administering lectures and disseminating CDs and literature on the dangers, presumably, of miscegenation.

The motivation seems to be both political and religious in nature, fueled as much by regional tensions as the traditional fear of losing Jews to intermarriage. "Their place is with the Jewish nation, not our enemies," says one of the organizers, who's obviously far more religious than any of the girls he's harassing.

Shockingly, turning this into an exciting forbidden Romeo and Juliet situation and casting Arab men as dangerous bad boys has not stopped the teens! For those of us who see this natural interaction as a healthy way of forging new understanding and connection, that's a good thing. For those whose intransigence has nothing to do with logic or apparently respect for personal decisions, boundaries and the law, well, probably not so much. When the short "West Bank Story" won an Oscar, it seemed light-hearted. The reality? Not so much.

Vigilantes Patrol For Jewish Women Dating Arab Men [NPR]

• A state panel has found that there is probable cause to believe that a suburban Philadelphia swim club, which asked a group of mostly black and Hispanic kids to leave, was guilty of discrimination. One of the girls who was asked to leave reports overhearing a club member asking, "What are all these black kids doing here? I am scared they might do something to my child." • For the low price of $39.95, you can be the proud owner of a Joe Wilson action figure, because nothing says I'm well-versed in politics! quite like a plastic figurine. •  Girls are fast catching up to boys in violent crime, according to new data. Although the increase first began to appear in the 1980s, it was only in the past decade that we saw a true rise in violence among young women. Professor Kerry Carrington will publish her findings in her book, Offending Youth. • The man accused of beating a female soldier outside an Atlanta Cracker Barrel has been indicted on charges of aggravated assault, cruelty to children, and false imprisonment. Federal officials are currently investigating whether he should also be charged with committing a hate crime. • A South African man has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of the "corrective" rape and murder of Eudy Simelane, one of the country's leading female soccer players. Two other men were acquitted due to lack of evidence. • Police have been unable to link Philip and Nancy Garrido to the disappearance of two young girls. Last week, it was reported that police found what could possibly be human remains on the Garrido's land, but it has since been determined that the bones are "far too old to be relevant to our case." • Max Baucus has backed down on his proposed tax on the medical devices industry. The so-called "Q-tip tax" has been amended, so that items under $100 (including tampons, sanitary pads, and Q-tips) would no longer be taxed. •  Researchers have found that providing Mexican women with new, pollution-reducing stoves can dramatically improve their respiratory health. Many Mexican women cook over indoor, wood-burning stoves, which causes them the same damage as smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. • Bad news for breeders: Scientists have linked childbearing to an increased risk for developing metabolic syndrome. • High school science teacher Susan Vincent was disappointed to realize that inner-city girls don't get to spend a lot of time outside, so she introduced a program at her school that brings kids to the Hudson River estuary. She hopes that they will eventually be able to fund a field-trip to the Mississippi River delta. • According to a recent poll, women are twice as likely to ask someone else to park for them than men. Women are also more likely to admit to being flustered while parallel parking, and to becoming self-conscious when watched. This leads the Daily Fail to deduce that "parking is a masculine strength." • Though Justine Henin retired from tennis last year at 25, when she was ranked number one and held two Grand Slam singles titles, she announced yesterday that she's returning to competition, and may even be back for the Australian Open. • A study of 2,000 British children ages 7 to 11 found left-handed kids are more likely to enjoy school and get along with their teachers. • According to another study of 2,000 adult Britons, many people are in denial about their weight problems. Though only 7 percent of those polled thought they were obese, the actual figure was 27 percent. • The FDA has banned the sale of candy, fruit and clove-flavored cigarettes, effective immediately. However, the ban does not apply to flavored cigars, smokeless tobacco products, or most notably, menthol cigarettes. Menthol cigarettes are preferred by 80% of black smokers and 25% of white smokers, and are increasingly popular with teens according to Jonathan Foulds, director of the Tobacco Dependence Program University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Public Health, but he says banning them too would result in a "pretty major revolt from industry." • Experts say the murder and persecution of women and children accused of being witches is increasing around the world, and may number in the millions. U.N. investigators say the persecution and killing of accused witches, who are often elderly women, is becoming common in South Africa, Nepal, Papua Ne Guinea, India, and other countries. In other areas children accused of witchcraft are abandoned or killed by their families. • Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad backed off his denial of the Holocaust in an interview with the AP yesterday. He said he isn't interested in debating the past anymore, but that the Holocaust shouldn't be used as a pretext to repress Palestinians today. • Some of the 42 African-American members of Congress who attended the Congressional Black Caucus conference this week said that "tea parties" and the people protesting against Obama's healthcare reform show that racism is on the rise. Democratic Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson, said Joe Wilson shouting "You lie!" could signal the return of "folks putting on white hoods and white uniforms again, riding through the countryside." • In the late '80s, when Glenn Beck hosted a Phoenix, Arizona radio show he used to do a version of Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" every Halloween. A rival radio host, Bruce Kelly, told a newspaper reported the bit was a stupid rip-off of an old joke. As revenge, Beck called Kelly's wife, Terry, live on the air a few days after she had a miscarriage. According to Brad Miller, one of Beck's former co-workers, he said," We hear you had a miscarriage... When Terry said, 'Yes,' Beck proceeded to joke about how Bruce [Kelly] apparently can't do anything right — about he can't even have a baby." •

• Mickey Rourke, at Max Azria: "I really don't like Max that much. He's a short little guy with a good looking wife. Maybe I'll steal his wife." [WSJ]
• Tom Ford to close-talking columnist: "Are you trying to smell me?" [NationalPost]

• If you care about who People thinks is the best-dressed, their annual list is out. Kate Winslet, Reese Witherspoon, Vanessa Hudgens, and Freida Pinto all made the cut; on the men's side, so did Brad Pitt, Robert Pattinson, and Bradley Cooper. [People]
• Audrey Tautou, currently playing Coco Chanel across multiple platforms, has a print ad for Chanel No. 5 out. [People]
• Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz is to address the UNESCO World Forum on Culture and Cultural Industries in Italy next week. [WWD]
• Lauren Conrad presents her fall collection for Kohl's in this video. It's very cute how she pretends to have seen it before. [People]
• Avril Lavigne presented her collection for Kohl's in New York City on Monday night. It includes a hoodie with earbuds in the drawstring. We must have missed this one for the Snuggie show. [People]
• Ralph Lifshitz and Calvin Klein grew up in the same part of the same neighborhood of the Bronx, Norwood's Mosholu Parkway, and both attended Public School 80, four years apart. Former Bronx borough president Fernando Ferrer says, "These are working-class guys — they were neither poor nor wealthy, and it's interesting that their clothes are aspirational. Ralph Lauren designs preppy, polo type clothes. That wasn't his experience then. So does Calvin Klein — elegance, simplicity." [Cityroom]
• Anya Hindmarch believes in "speaking up for bespoke" objects in a time of mass-production. Naturally, she also believes in charging £500 for a wallet. [ToL]
• Meanwhile, for the rest of us, Zara has plans to start selling its clothes online. [FT]
• Georgia May Jagger: "I really don't get it, to be perfectly honest. I still don't have that firm a grasp on why me being my parents' daughter is so interesting." Being your parents' daughter is the only reason you have a career, dear! [Style.com]
• It's certainly the only reason Vanity Fair is talking to her. "Modeling is always something I've really admired because I've seen my mum and sister do it," says Jagger. [VF]
• David Lauren: "We created the first 24-hour shopping experience on the windows of our mansion on 72nd St. You can literally walk up to the glass, press on the glass, and shop the product that's in the store. You can touch your credit card to the glass and buy it." [The Cut]
• Will lazy writers ever abandon the canard that Lara Stone — a model with stated measurements of 33"-24"-35", entirely within the tiny range of straight-size modeling — is somehow "curvy" or represents "change" on the catwalk? Stone — who is incredibly good at what she does, and well established in the business because of it — has not been "opening everyone's shows." In fact she has yet to be spotted anywhere in the lineup at a single show this season. [Telegraph]
• Halston, that long-rudderless brand, had a spring presentation that was a bit of a train wreck. The clothes looked very similar to each other, and the mannequins were weird. [WSJ]
• Barneys New York has now operated for 14 months without a C.E.O. Wracked by debt, the retailer is the subject of rumors alleging its inability to even pay its invoices. The head of Istithmar, the investment fund that owns Barneys, says "We have stood by Barneys and will continue to stand by this company." Words you never want to have to hear from a C.E.O. [WWD]
• Nina Garcia's third book about personal style is naturally all about the recessionista, not the fashionista. [Reuters]
• According to an online survey of 61,000 teens, teenagers are spending less money, because their parents are giving them less money, because their parents have less money. Thanks for getting to the bottom of this important recession conundrum, social networking site Habbo Hotel. [Reuters]

This smattering of diary entries come from around the country — and from across the globe. The ages are as varied as the experiences: Some girls were happy-go-lucky TV-watchers; some were dealing with overwhelming emotions and desires. Dating, depression, disease, dilemmas — it's all here. Throw in celebrity crushes and Snoopy notebook paper, and you've got an amazing gallery, which begins below.

Year: 1998
Commenter: Skellatrix
I hardly wrote, so when I did, it was all "important" stuff. I love the fact that at the beginning of April vacation this little "crisis" is SUCH a big fucking deal, but by the end I was completely over it - and felt the need to include an addendum, so future Me wouldn't get the wrong idea. Hey! I was sixteen, so I had some self-awareness.
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Year: 1998
Commenter: Skellatrix
Also, for your consideration: the three-and-a-half page analysis of an awkward, limp high-five that ultimately concludes with "I dunno, I don't give a fuck."
(Skellatrix cont.) And no, I never ended up dating this poor boy.
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Name: Sandy
Year: 1984
Age:20

Commenter: Darbyoshea
Here is a CLASSIC two-page entry detailing my entire (very) early sexual history (i.e. first kisses, "his hands on my butt!!!" etc). Last names have been redacted and my dignity is officially squashed, even having revisited this old old diary. It's from about 1994, let's say, when I was in seventh grade in Indiana. There is an incident on a horse and another on a trampoline. Hooray, rural youth.
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Name: Nita
A page from my third grade diary!

Name: C.
Here's a page from my old diary, or rather a typical excerpt. This was from my senior year in high school, 2004. Hope you gals like it!
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Name: N.
I'm attaching three pages of my old diary, written from ages 11-17 (ending on the day I graduated high school). 
The first two (journal1 and journal2) and one entry— written just before I turned 16 and just after I was diagnosed with cancer.  Whenever I look back at old entries, it really shocks me how un-self-aware I was, but these two pages seem to be the opposite and were surprisingly poignant. 

(N.'s journal, cont.)

(N., cont) 
I'm not really sure if that fits with the light-hearted feel of the diary idea, so I'm attaching one more page, written at age 12, an entry deliciously horrible.  I went a little 1985 on it and erased names because I had this lovely habit of writing everyone's first AND last names.  "Why are bitches ever born?"  Why, indeed.

Name: Cara
Date: May 05
Age: 16
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Commenter: Wooden_shoes
I distinctly remember watching the start of the Persian Gulf War on the television, I remember being pissed off because it was right around my birthday. 

Commenter: Etoiles
As sad as it is to say, this is one of the least embarrassing journal pages I could find. I wasn't the Gossip Diarist; I was the Pretentious Knowledge-Seeker going after Deep Truths and so on.

I started journaling heavily when I was 14, barely into my high school freshman year. I was full of that teenage sense that I WAS BRILLIANT AND THE WORLD WAS STUPID. I suppose, in a way, that we're all kind of right... the world, it turns out, is stupid. But alas, none of us is brilliant at 14.

Anyway, this page is from the summer I was 16, and would have been right around the time I was wrapping up my sophomore year of high school. (I started to transition into the me I think of myself as being now about two months after I wrote this page.) Usually my penmanship is impeccable, and has been since third grade; sloppy handwriting is always a sign that words were simply *bursting* forth and that I wanted my future self to remember how excited I was. Because yes, I was like that, too.
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Name: Michele
Year: 1979
I was 12

Name: Michele
Year: 1984
I was 16.

Name: Candace
Year: 1997
I was 12

Name: Candace
Year: 1999
I was 14
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Name: Susan

OK, this is so embarrassing. It's a 1980 entry from my 1975 diary.

1. I'd been kissed twice; once as part of a play, and once by Greg.
2. Greg is not so nice. You would not like him.
3. "I've just begun to really understand how petty everything was"?
4. There is no second page anywhere. I just quit writing. The story ends like this: "and accidentally got on the High School bus, got laughed at, and was delivered to school crying by my harassed mother."

(click "full size" to enlarge)

Commenter: Spamanda
The is from 1993, I was about 15, and it was after my first "real" make-out session with my boyfriend. Good times. I especially like the pink ink. That's classy. Shows just how grown-up I really was.
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Commenter: Spamanda
This is from 1997, when I was 19 and in a very serious relationship (that ended shortly after this journal entry). I wrote pages and pages about how worried I was about being pregnant, but this one sums it up quite well. Even now, looking back, this was such a turning point in my life.
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Commenter: Thatgirlmay
This page comes from my diary I started in 4th grade. It was May of 1994 and was 11 when I wrote this entry. Oh, and Joey and I never made it to "Might Ducks 2" because he stood me up! Oh the 11 year old drama.

Commenter: bleedingmouths
Diary 1 - Age 14, 1998. worth looking at for my daily Top 5 lists. still a huge fan of black pens. Also good for the hearts at the bottom. KM's first love should be evident- BSB. Backstreet Boys, alright?

Commenter: bleedingmouths
Diary 2 - Age 15, 1998. Good teenage dream, contrasted with good punk lyrics... happy future thoughts!

Commenter: bleedingmouths
Diary 3 - Age 16, 2000. Hair experiments, lots of hearts, good fox

Commenter: bleedingmouths
Diary 4- Age 17, 2000. I think it's worth introducing people to the concept of Satan's Crown and its relationship-centric Underpants of Betrayal cousin.

Commenter: saintestella
This page was written in November of 1997, shortly before I turned 12 years old.
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Name: Carolyn
This was written in 1995. I was 14 years old. I was writing about my first ever boyfriend. I was pretty much obsessed with him for a few years.
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Name: Andrea
Hi! I've attached a page from my diary from January 16th, 1987 from my Hello Kitty diary. I was 11 years old and in 6th grade. What strikes me about this entry is this is right around the time I started puberty and was gaining miniscule amounts of weight due to puberty. I was by no means fat, but my 11 year old mind sure thought I was. You can see in somewhat different (I assume a couple years later?) I commented on the page, "I'm fat, okay?" Heart breaking. And obviously a little boy crazy :)
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Commenter: Lolita Hazed
This is from junior year finals! I was 17 when I wrote this and it was 2008.

Name: Luan
Year: 1993
Age at time: 7
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Commenter: ♥Anti-SocialSocialite♥
I wrote this rap in my diary when I was 15. Way back then, in 2002, I had elaborate aspirations of becoming a singing, rapping, dancing, writing, improving, acting dynamo. Of course, all that time spent independently training to become a dynamo affected my grades and my parents were none too pleased. In the most teenaged tantrum of all time, the most powerful of protests, I wrote "The Teenage Girl Rap" to vent my frustrations. Backed by a preset Casio keyboard hip hop beat, I rapped and sang my heart out to my mom and dad, sure that this song, the fruit of my frustrations would be the one the catapult me to stardom. AND BOY WOULD THEY BE SORRY THEY EVER DOUBTED ME. 7 years later, I'm a writer, still do improv, a college student, and a dynamo in my own way. I haven't rapped in 7 years - and from the crude self-made recordings I've since relived, I probably never should have.
(click "full size" to enlarge)

Name: Lauren
Here are two page scans from a diary I kept from age seven to age 15.  I wrote the entries when I was eight; they describe the same experience, only I crossed out/edited the first entry, I think because I was embarrassed (I recall having been embarrassed, but also a little pleased).

Name: Claire
This isn't exactly a journal entry, but I glued it into my journal, so I feel like it almost qualifies.  The story that inspired this page is a relatively common one- I fell in love with a boy who had a girlfriend. We dated our freshman year of high school, broke up terribly (as most 15 year old's relationships do), and hated each other for the rest of high school. But one night at a choir retreat second semester of senior year, we stayed up all night talking and fell in love. It was February of this year & I was 17. He wouldn't leave his girlfriend, so I moved on. This journal page is a doodle. I scribble song lyrics when I'm bored, and as he was on my mind all the time, this page is all about songs that remind me of him. He broke my heart, but it was worth it. I have this page to remind me how deep I can feel and how I deserve someone so much better.
 

Commenter: Bunnya69
Year: 1990
Age: 19 (at the time this was written; I turned 20 in October of that year)
I wish I could find my diaries from the early 80s, when I was a pre-teen/teenager, but all I could locate were ones from the 90s. I decided to scan an entry from 1990 because all of the other journals that year discuss my marriage to my first husband, and we don't want to go there.

I chose this entry as it demonstrates how yummy Christian Slater was when he hit the scene.

Name: Emily
These scans come from a diary I kept in Kindergarten and first grade in a red, 1-subject Mead notebook. This was the year before I received a "proper" diary.
 
Some history: I mostly wrote about what I watched on TV and what I ate. I was a big Jem and MTV fan. The second entry was written after a birthday party at a local Chuck E. Cheese style establishment, which later became the site of my first job in high school. I love how it captures the '80s zeitgeist so well, with the jelly bracelets and Solid Gold and Tiffany.

Name: Holly
I was 12 years old when i wrote this. The Gareth i am referring to was Gareth Gates from the TV programme 'Popstars'.  As my 12 year old self would say, *cringe*.  My eyebrows were a big concern in my early teenage years until my mum let me pluck them when i was 14.  When she looks at old pictures of me she tells me she wishes she let me do it earlier.

Name: Dodai
Year: 1987
I was almost 15 and extremely existential/pretentious. The next couple of pages go on and on about Prince, Howard Jones, David Bowie, being "phony" etc. etc. etc. Mentions of Bruce Willis and Moonlighting are included.

Name: Dodai
Year: 1987
I had a crush on this Colombian kid named Glen in my biology class. His eyes were a particular shade of green/blue I called "pastel aqua." Years later at my high school reunion, we made out.

Commenter: Haguenite
As you can see, this entry was written May 27th 1999 (I was 16) at 10:46 PM. During this period, I watched Heartbreak High (Australian high school series) religiously, and I was madly in love with Drazic. That's him on the page at right. And because I know most Jezebels don't speak Dutch, a translation:
Dear diary,
The weather is great and we only have class for 4 more weeks. Can't beat that, can you? I'm doing my homework on a bench in the sun or in the hammock in the shade.
Today we went on a family picnic, and there is my summer feeling! Now fingers crossed the weather stays this way. I think that'd be quite comfy, really.
I can't believe summer vacation is almost here! Delicious!
On top of all this, I've also finally gotten over my crush. His blue eyes are still beautiful though.
In short, I quite happy, but also quite tired so... Au Revoir!

I was not a very interesting teen.

Commenter: Mmmmkay (gellin and jezebellin)
Here are some select pages from my 4th grade diary, circa 1991; I was 9 years old. I think they are hilarious and I hope you do too! Some things to note -

- "Matt" was my childhood crush/obsession and the crush of every girl I grew up with, he is now married to one of my best friends

- "Candace" appears over and over again though I never thought of her a best friend, she was clearly more important to me than I thought she was or wanted to remember?! fun fact - my mom ran in to her mom recently and told her I'm with a girl now, Candace's mom said "ohh Candace did that lesbian thing in college, don't worry about it."

- "Peggy" was our live in housekeeper/nanny and I was very close to her but was also very self righteous about drugs etc at that age.. oh if I only knew what I'd get into as a big girl

- It was a Precious Moments diary, hence the bible verse at the beginning. I was pretty religious growing up, hence the semi-holier than thou tone (accusing the girl on my soccer team of being immodest??!!) and talk of the Christmas "pagent," I went to an Episcopal school from nursery school - 12th grade. the "first king" refers to the 1st one in the procession of The 3 Kings.. I even played the Virgin Mary the next year as a 5th grader!

- all this took place in South Orange County, CA

While I don't watch many teen-oriented shows (with the exception of Gossip Girl, My Super Sweet 16 and America's Next Top Model), I can't remember the last time a teenage TV character proclaimed to be a feminist — and wasn't making a joke. In fact, when Tracie made a list of self-professed feminist TV characters, half of them originated a decade or more ago.

While the character of Kat is based on the "shrew" by William Shakespeare, on this show she is a fully modern young woman dealing with modern problems. For instance: Last week's episode, directed by Gil Junger (who directed the 1999 film starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger.) Kat's plot revolves around her newly engaged teacher, who seems more interested in a sparkly rock than grading papers fairly.

The assignment was to write about "the day that changed your life." Kat wrote about reading Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex, "the dawn" of her "feminist awakening." What she didn't read? Her friend Mandella's paper about the county fair. Still, when Kat finds out that everyone in class received As, she complains. Also, she calls her teacher out for being "so not a feminist."

What happens when she complains is that everyone still gets As, but Kat gets a B-. She confronts her teacher about this new, lower grade; but her teacher explains that Kat's paper on finding feminism received a low grade because it was "predictable" and "preachy."

After a talk with her father, Kat realizes that she is indeed self-centered; she hadn't even read her friend Mandella's paper about the county fair, assuming it wasn't as interesting or important as her feminist manifesto. Turns out that Mandella's paper was about the humiliation of being an overweight person not allowed to ride the fairground rides and turning to fatty foods at the fair as a coping mechanism. Kat apologizes to her friend.

Also, she writes a new paper. About her dad buying her tampons.

The week before last, Kat's plot had a feminist bent as well:

Kat's sister Bianca called Kat out on being a "stop global warming activist" while driving a gas-guzzling, air-polluting clunker.

Kat decided to convert her "Chernobyl-mobile" to bio-diesel using some instructions she found online, adding that doing so would "dispel the myth" that women can't fix cars.

The guys in the garage (including Patrick Verona) gave Kat a hard time. They had a bet going that she wouldn't be able to finish converting her engine; but when one guy said, "Isn't anyone going to bet on the girl?" Kat said, "I'll bet on myself." She had confidence she could pull it off. But by the end of the day, everyone was going home and she hadn't made any progress. The guys urged her to quit, and Kat was clearly at the end of her rope.

In the middle of the night, Kat was still trying to fix her car. Her OB/GYN dad came to visit; she pouted that she wasn't a "damsel in distress." Yet he made it clear that her problem with the car stemmed not from being female but from being stubborn and not asking for help when she clearly needed it. (Kat and her dad finished the engine conversion and the next day in the garage, the guys had to pay up when she started the car with her new bio-diesel system, which they assumed she'd installed herself.)

This summer show will, most likely, be ending in a few weeks, but here's to hoping that it — and its message, a strong one for teenage girls — returns.

10 Things I Hate About You airs tonight at 8pm on ABC Family

10 Things I Hate About You [ABC Family]

Earlier: 10 Things I Hate About You: Teenage Feminism, But No Heath Ledger
20 Feminist TV Characters

Instead of publishing a list of healthy relationship ideas for young men and women heading back to school this fall, the paper instead decided to publish a Cosmo-esque list of tips for "Gals" and "Guys", giving the opposite sex the jump on the complicated high school dating game by providing the same damn stereotypes teenagers have been force fed for years. The first piece, "A Girl's Guide For Guys," was written by a recent college graduate, who decides to "drop some truth" on the young males of the Houston metropolitan area. I was already cringing at this point: even when you're just 4 years out of high school, you're painfully distant from the culture and the lingo. "Drop some truth" sounded as convincing, in terms of youth-speak, as a Bagel Bites commercial. Here are said dropped truths:

1. The read: There is one point on which the sexes are hopelessly crossed. It's a simple fact that girls read too much into everything. So if your girl doesn't believe you spent Saturday night hanging out with your BFL (bro for life) and she tells you through a steely jaw and narrowed eyes that she's fine, well, she's not. She's hacked off. Learn to read her body language.

2. Worst words: There is one thing you should never, ever say to a girl. Never - even if it's true - tell a girl that she's "being ridiculous." The No. 1 way to aggravate an already raging female is to illegitimize her feelings.

3. Date night: Even a low-maintenance girl likes to be taken to dinner once in a while - and I don't mean a fast-food, value-menu meal. I mean dinner at a restaurant with linens on the tables. Wear real pants. Pick her up at 7.

4. Care about her friends: The way to a girl's heart is through her friends. If they don't like you, you're sunk. Period. So make a concerted effort to get to know them and ask about their lives.

5. Ease into it: Don't apply too much pressure for a commitment, unless she's bleeding profusely and it's medically necessary. There's a difference between forcing a choice on someone and letting them know you're worth the effort. No one likes a stage-five clinger.

I'm a bit confused by this list, and a bit annoyed. It paints all high school girls as bitchy and slightly needy. Also, it includes the phrase "bro for life." Not good. Also, I have no idea what's happening in number 5. I think it's a joke on applying pressure, but....I can't be sure.

Now let's take a look at the dating tips for high school girls, written by a young man who graduated just last spring:

1. Keep it simple: Do not make guys more complicated than we really are. You don't have to guess; most guys will tell you what they are thinking and will act accordingly. Basically, just take guys at face value.

2. Chill out: If a guy doesn't reply instantly to your text message, don't consider it the end of the world - he's probably just busy. (If it happens a lot, it may be that he's just not into you.) Wait a reasonable time for a response; overreacting or jumping to conclusions can only lead to problems.

3. Who's the alpha dog?: Just because a guy isn't the smoothest creature on the planet doesn't mean he's not interested. So don't freak out if a guy waits until the last minute to ask you out. And don't see it as an invitation to pressure him about it. Most guys don't like bossy girls, and that's how he'll see you.

4. Just friends: Guys do like having girls who are just friends. But don't agree to "just be friends" if you really want something more. If he refers to you as a sister, buddy or good friend, there's a good chance you can hang that crush right up.

5. Don't stalk him: Facebook is wildly popular among teens and can be the center of a lot of high school drama. If he adds you as a friend, be that - a friend. This isn't your cue to become a detective or to confront him about photos or statuses.

Number 3 is pretty crappy, in that it basically requests that girls become doormats in order to be relationship-worthy. The boundary setting in numbers 5 and 2 is important—for both genders—and I wish those had popped up on the guy's list, as well. It's interesting to me that the 18 year old man had a more realistic list than the 22-year-old woman, whose dating advice seems peppered with ladymag bullshit and Sex and the City type ruminations—it's as if she's already forgotten high school and has transposed her college dating experiences on younger girls.

In the end, these lists aren't terrible, but they do overlook a major issue: there really shouldn't be gender-specific "rules" for dating in high school. It just perpetuates the idiotic setups of "The Rules" and "Game" that these kids will face as they get older. If we could only just provide teenagers with a basic set of rules on how to be decent people, how to show each other respect and kindness, instead of steering them toward these nonsense notions of how a guy or a girl "is supposed to" act in the dating realm, we'd all be better off.

A Guy's Guide For Girls [Houston Chronicle]
A Girl's Guide For Guys [Houston Chronicle]

Miriam Forman-Brunell's Babysitter: An American History, takes on the trope of the teen sitter. As opposed to the more obviously fraught dynamic of nanny and mom (as examined in Tasha Blaine's Just Like Family and by the estimable Dodai), a babysitter's role is more marginal. Usually a social equal, generally a teen girl, the bebysitter is a transient figure, less a servant than the object of fantasy, idolization, and, in the world of John Cheever, sexual intrigue.

Babysitting's also an important trope in the teen girl world: it's often the first job a girl has, and, as embodied by The Babysitter's Club, an important way for girls to achieve financial independence and life skills, and an introduction into "teen" existence. As an interview in the New Yorker with the author tells us, the practice started in the 1920s, and has been going strong since.

Whereas nannies are characterized by their accountability - the tyranny of references and the omnipresence of moms - babysitters have always occupied a weird place: they're generally unqualified, but given a lot of responsibility. And, in the popular imagination, hijinx ensue. From the brats of Beverly Cleary's Fifteen to the adventures In Babysitting or the misadventures of Honey I Blew Up the Baby a stint with the sitter is less a part of the world than an opportunity to step outside of the norm, whether this means, for kids, entering a teenage world (Dar Williams-style) or, for the sitter, raiding the fridge and sneaking in a boyfriend.

The reality, of course, is usually a lot more boring: make the mac and cheese, get the teeth brushed, watch TV for a few hours, get $40. So why is the babysitter an "ambivalent" figure in pop culture? Says Forman-Brunell,

Teen-age girls have been contesting traditional gender ideals in highly visible ways since the nineteen-twenties. The babysitter has conveniently served as a lightning rod for adults' uncertainties about what the limits of girls' autonomy and empowerment should be. These uncertainties have played out in the media: for instance, unease about the influence of feminism, the sexual revolution, and the counter culture on girls' behavior in the nineteen-sixties led to depictions of delirious babysitters who endangered children and slutty sitters who destabilized marriages in soft-core-porn novels. In the nineteen-seventies, maniacs in horror movies like "Halloween" and "When a Stranger Calls" sought vengeance on teen-age girls unwilling to curb their pursuit of personal independence. In the eighties, it was the babysitters themselves who turned murderous in made-for-TV movies, a fantasy created, perhaps, in response to girls' uninterrupted determination to achieve authority and self-sufficiency.

The author also notes that, in the early days, male babysitters were actually considered more desirable: dependable and level-headed, as opposed to flighty girls. Whereas nowadays, where a boy might be considered a desirable mentor to a wild male child, most parents are going to turn to a female neighbor as a safer choice. Does this indicate a shift in our attitudes towards young women, or merely a calcification of gender roles? Maybe both. And maybe also something less palatable. Nowadays, it seems like oftentimes the moms who employ a neighbor as a sitter is eager for a responsible older girl's influence on her daughters - as opposed to the quotidian care of a nanny, who presumably doesn't have the same wisdom to impart. I know as a teen nerd, I was in high demand in my neighborhood as a "good influence" - and the fact that I was always free on a Saturday night didn't hurt, either. I get that, especially in a world rife with questionable influences. But the contrast between the babysitter and the actual employees - even when some people tossed the terms around with optimistic interchangeability - sometimes felt weird. Says the author, The ultimate evidence of sitters' dissatisfaction over the past century has been the frequency with which girls faced with other options turned their backs on babysitting." But maybe the fact that there will always be some who do it is even more telling.

Ask an Academic: Babysitters as Bad Girls [New Yorker]
Related: Nannies: Friends, Family, Or Employees?

I must admit that Luann has never been a comic that I thought too much about: my awareness of the strip springs mostly from Josh Fruhlinger's commentary over at The Comics Curmudgeon, a site dedicated to analyzing the funny pages, often with hilarious results. Though reading Fruhlinger's site, I knew that Luann has had a few slightly questionable plotlines kicking around over the past few years. However, in the interest of fairness, I decided to spend a few hours in the Luann archives (yes, there are Luann archives) to see what the strip was really all about.

We should start with the basics: the strip was started in 1985 by Greg Evans, who claims that his inspiration for Luann's world came from his own teenage daughter, who is now approximately 30 years old. In a 2004 interview with the Washington Post, Evans admitted that he had to look to new sources for his strip's material, after his children grew up and left the home, which led him to seek inspiration "by watching the WB, reading teen magazines, being observant at the mall." This, in part, would explain why the world of Luann is so steeped in teenage stereotypes and hypersexed scenes.

The standard teen characters are all in play: Luann, the main character, is a slightly dorky blonde who feels that no one understands her. She is perhaps the most sympathetic character; as much as I hate to admit it, I laughed at many of her doofy scenes and saw myself—and many of my friends at age 15—in her dumb exploits. She wants a car! Her dad says no. She wants to date the hot guy! Only the dork notices her. She writes poetry about how nothing makes sense. She reads beauty magazines and can't seem to figure out what they are trying to tell her. It's all standard teen fare, yes, but there's a reason why standard teen fare continues to pop up in movies and on television and comic strips: there's a tiny bit of truth to it.

However, there are many problematic elements in Luann: the "dumb girl," Tiffany, (who, by the way, once went by Sheraton St. Clair, an obvious rip on Paris Hilton) is not only stupid, but slutty as well. Because that's what pretty girls in high school are for, right? To be dumb, shallow, and easy? In the world of Luann, yes. Tiffany spends most of her time in the strip talking about money, boys, or the combination of the two, and is drawn as manipulative and stupid. She also allows herself to be exploited in various ways, for popularity's sake, because she just loves the attention from the boys. There was one particularly disturbing storyline that took place earlier this year, wherein Tiffany agrees to put on her bikini and sit in the dunk tank in order to raise money for a trip to Washington, D.C. Of course, this is all done in the name of sisterhood, to help "feisty sidekick" Delta make her way to D.C. with the rest of the group (Delta lost out on a ticket during a random lottery), which supposedly make its it OK.



The boys, however, have this reaction:



When this charming idea doesn't pan out, the girls decide to raise money by pimping Luann out to a boy willing to pay $950 for a date:



I mean, geez Luann, don't you know that being a real friend means dating someone you feel uncomfortable with? Really.

Beyond all this, there are other elements in Luann that are, as our reader noted, "ick-inducing." As Fruhlinger writes, "Here's what drives me batty about this strip's treatment of romantic relationships: everything's all presented to us as if its something that's supposed to make us all hot and bothered, and yet it's not erotically charged at all, both because of the need to stay within the strict bounds of newspaper strip acceptable content rules and because of the extreme hamhandedness of it all. The fact that it all reinforces the whole "Women are mysterious and manipulative and men are doomed to be trapped forever in their sexual thrall" thing just adds some extra ick." He's right, of course: the strip is laden with eye-rolling innuendo and the relationships are all seemingly plucked from a universe where every girl wants to sleep with every guy, and vice versa. This, I think, is where Evans' WB-watching has landed him in a bit of trouble.

Today's comic showcases Luann and her friend Bernice (who had an insane plotline involving a boss named Ann Eiffel, who, being a woman in power, was also the pseudo-predatory lesbian of the Luann universe. I'm not making this up. It's like Passions, people.) who is constantly keeping Luann in check with her "honest" view of things. Luann has been asked to appear at ComicCon, in costume, and Bernice feels it's the "friendly" thing to do to tell her to, you know, change everything about her body:

Sorry, Luann! Only cheerleaders get to take their clothes off and be rewarded for it, and your "real" friends are there to tell you to feel bad about yourself. Charming!

In fairness, there are certain Luann strips that are quite touching and sweet: Luann often finds herself confused and a bit flustered at the world around her, which is true for many people, regardless of gender, at that age. Luann's mother is also a fairly strong character, and her parents relationship seems loving and equal and manages to sidestep many (not all) of the dumb husband/whip smart wife (or vice versa) cliches of many family strips.

Yet many of the younger female characters in the strip seem to exist solely for the enjoyment of the horny male characters, and even the female characters who do step out of that box a bit find themselves clinging to boys for a sense of identity or self-worth. It's very Edward Cullen-esque. For every moment that rings true in Luann, there are 5 moments that seem like they should be extras on a Cruel Intentions 2 dvd.

Perhaps the lesson here is that at a certain point, one loses touch with one's audience; Evans creates a fictional teenage world based on other fictional teenage worlds: the movies, the magazines, the mall. If Luann really wants to be the strip that represents what its like to deal with being a teenage girl in today's world, perhaps Evans should stop looking to the glossy stereotypes created by other adults and start remembering the days when his daughter was in the house: the styles and the scenes may have changed, but the heart of the story stays the same.

Comics: Luann [Washington Post]
Tales Of Supermarket Ribaldry! [TheComicsCurmudgeon]
Luann [Comics.Com]

Inspired by the success of Twilight, the publisher says,"these books specifically focus on teen protagonists, which is not something Harlequin has done a whole lot of." Well, no. While it makes sense that two of the most resilient portions of the publishing industry - romance and YA - should join forces into a supergenre, traditional romance tends to depend on an idea of happily-ever-after, whereas teen romances, typically, don't outlast Thanksgiving break.

Of course, in a case like Twilight's, the characters are special - hell, the hero's technically an old man in a 17-year-old body -which makes it easier to buy their love beating the odds. And Harlequin Teen is clearly not too worried about being derivative: of the 20 titles planned for 2010, apparently a sizable portion are Sci-Fi and "paranormal" romance. It's the "contemporaries" we're curious about.

An industry pro observes that "The teen-romance readers of today are the adult-romance readers of tomorrow. Courting them when they are younger is probably a good thing." But this seems to ignore two things. One: teen girls read bodice-rippers and, two: a lot of Twilight's readership is adult. I'd guess Harlequin is well aware of this too: and as long as grown-ups prefer reading about nubile adolescent foreplay - and won't admit it - this seems like a potential win.

Harlequin Takes Aim At Teen Readers With New Imprint [USA Today]

Though The FBomb went online in March, it officially launched last week. The site is described as:

"A blog/community created for teenage girls who care about their rights as women and want to be heard. Young feminists who are just a little bit pissed off and very outspoken are more than welcome here."

According to a press release, Zeilinger is a high school sophomore at The Hawken School in Gates Mills, Ohio. "Thefbomb.org is for girls who have enough social awareness to be angry and who want to verbalize their frustrations about injustice in the world," she said. "It is loud, proud, aggressive, sarcastic...everything teenage feminists are and should be today." Though Zeilinger interned at the National Council for the Research on Women and posted on the organization's blog, the FBomb is an independent project which she created herself. Other bloggers posted today, but, up to this point, almost all of the daily posts have been written by Zeilinger.

The FBomb often links to Jezebel, Feministing, and other sites aimed at adult women, and covers similar topics, organizing the posts into categories including "pop-culture," "feminism," and "awareness." Recent posts range from an interview with Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor, to an essay on Lily Allen's feminist lyrics (despite the fact that she's never applied "the F word" to herself), and a gossip roundup of all the conflicting stories about Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Zeilinger concludes that post:

"since none of them are about Robert Pattinson falling in love with a young feminist blogger just by running into her serendipitously on the streets of New York, I can't care too much."

Zeilinger is a witty, engaging writer, and not just "for a 16-year-old." As the press released claims, she probably is the youngest feminist blogger in the country, and though we often write about what teenagers go through, it's interesting to hear the perspective of an actual teen girl. Especially since Zeilinger has a lot more insight into the lies pushed on teenagers than we did at her age.

In her critique of a show aimed at teenagers, she writes:

Because, let's all face it, our lives on average would make a pretty freakin boring t.v. show. WHICH IS ACTUALLY FINE, IT TURNS OUT. I hear all these teens bitching about how boring their lives are, because whether conciously or not they're comparing it to the lives of Gossip Girl and 90210 which just promote irresponsible promiscuity, drug use and other dumbass moves. We watch these shows and we roll our eyes because most of us realize that life isn't like that. But then we go and strive to match it anyway.

And in her post on whether or not girls should date boys who don't call themselves feminists she concludes:

For me, I don't choose friends based on their feminist status, and boyfriends go the same way. It takes people longer than others to see the light, or be secure enough with themselves to use a word that makes so many others uncomfortable. I can only help by teaching them about feminism and sharing my experiences. Maybe one day they'll identify as feminists, then again, maybe they won't. As a feminist, I'm all about choice.

Unfortunately, it seems right now the site's few commenters on the FBomb are adults. Below the post on feminist boyfriends, two adult commenters got into a lengthy argument about the modern meaning of the word "feminist" and, earlier today, something prompted Zeilinger to write on the FBomb's Twitter: "older feminist readers I'm a teen its for teens can't be perfect don't have a degree. get some perspective plz & stop writing mean comments!" But those arguments are bound to come up whenever feminism is mentioned, and even without a high school degree Zeilinger is doing excellent work. Hopefully, now that the site has officially launched younger readers will hear about The FBomb and it can grow into the "community for teenage girls" (emphasis ours) that Zeilinger envisioned.

The FBomb [Official Site]

Related: 16-Year-Old Feminist Launches 'The FBomb' Blog for Teenage Girls [PR Newswire]
Dads, Dudes, and Doing It [The National Council For Research On Women]
Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor: Interview [FBomb]
Lily Allen: Closet Feminist? [FBomb]
Robsten? Stewpat? [FBomb]
Another Teen Show Rant [FBomb]
Feminism And Dating [FBomb]
@the_fbomb [Twitter]

Earlier: Teen Feminists Drop "F-Bomb"

Alter's piece explores the growing trend of image consultations for young girls, who, due to the increased societal pressures to present a certain image thanks in part to tween stars like Miley Cyrus and makeover gurus like Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, feel that their looks need an upgrade. Alter follows a group of girls as they go through a session with "image coach" Sharon Glickman, who attempts to educate the girls about such things as dressing for one's body type (blargh), seasonal styles, and how to dress well even in difficult economic times. The girls are appreciative of Glickman's help, as one admits that the school fashion scene "can be pretty competitive."

Dressing for your peers, and being judged on such a thing, is a middle and high school rite of passage that never really ends. To that end, it's not really shocking or, for that matter, infuriating that young girls are seeking out fashion advice from experts. It is, however, a bit depressing, if only because it's a continuation of the notion that one's clothes (specifically, the brand name of one's clothes) are the true mark of who one really is, when that is often enough not the case. One wishes it weren't about knowing what's "so last season," as much as what works for the individual and inspires self-confidence. It also seems a little strange that some of the issues re: self-esteem are being addressed externally as opposed to internally, though one can argue at that age, feeling more comfortable in one's body due to clothes that make one feel more pulled together might help a bit.

Still, it would have been nice if someone had pulled me aside and said, "You know what? Socks over tights under shorts plus a raspberry beret might not be the thing to wear in your 7th grade class photo." But then again, my smile in that photo is pretty big, so perhaps the image I laugh at now was the one I was going for back then. I suppose if you have the means to help your daughter create an exterior appearance via clothing and hair that makes her feel happier and more confident, that's all well and good—just as long as she doesn't lose herself in the process.

The Minor Makeover [WashingtonPost]

University of Minnesota Medical School researchers analyzed data from a national survey of more than 20,000 students in grades 7 through 12 during three separate years, reports EurekAlert. In the survey's first year, nearly 15 percent of the teens said they thought they had a 50/50 chance of living to age 35. Those who were already fighting, using drugs, having unsafe sex, or who had attempted suicide were more likely to say in later interviews that they'd die young. The reverse was also true: Teens who hadn't engaged in such behaviors but said they would die young in the first interview were more likely to have started by the second and third interviews.

"While conventional wisdom says that teens engage in risky behaviors because they feel invulnerable to harm, this study suggests that in some cases, teens take risks because they overestimate their vulnerability, specifically their risk of dying," said Dr. Iris Borowsky, who worked on the study. "These youth may take risks because they feel hopeless and figure that not much is at stake."

Twenty-five percent of the survey participants living in households that receive public assistance said they would die young. Race was also a factor in their responses, as only 10 percent of Caucasian teens said they'd die young, but 29 percent of American-Indian, 26 percent of African-American, 21 percent of Hispanic, and 15 percent of Asian respondents said they thought they might not see 35.

There was no link between the students thinking they'd die young and the number who did die over the course of six years of research, but the more fatalistic teens were significantly more likely to have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS by the end of the study.

Dr. Jonathan Klein, a University of Rochester adolescent health expert who did not work on the report, says the study suggests doctors should be screening teens to find out if they believe they may die early. "Asking about this sense of fatalism is probably a pretty important component of one of the ways we can figure out who those kids at greater risk are," he explains.

Teens Who Believe They'll Die Young Are More Likely To Engage In Risky Behavior, University Of Minnesota Research Finds [EurekAlert]
Surprising Number Of Teens Think They'll Die Young [Associated Press]