Have you tried new styles of clothing as you’ve gotten older?  When do you think some styles become too “mature” for younger girls?

Recently, Abercrombie and Fitch posted its new “Ashley” push-up bikini top on its online store. The padded top was designed for girls as young as 7 years old!

Parents who felt this shouldn’t be made for such young girls and thought that it was demeaning for their young daughters took action and spoke out against it.

Some parents said that girls are being taught at too young of an age that they have to alter their bodies to be attractive.

Other parents said that padded bikini tops like this one should not be sold to women of any age, and we should love our bodies as they are, and not try to change them.

However, others believe that it is important for girls to come to understand themselves and their bodies as they grow up. However, as one blogger said, “there’s a difference between exploring these ideas on your own and having them sold to you in a children’s catalog.”

Because of the actions taken by these parents, the bikini has been removed from the website.

What do you think about being sold a padded bikini top? Is it okay for a company to sell this to young girls? Do you think it makes girls feel like they need to grow up too fast?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Kristen

New Moon Intern

Female veterans, women who have served in the military and offered their lives to defend the United States, cannot take a sigh of relief once they return to American soil.

Even though the number of women serving in the armed forces is growing, American communities more readily accept – and offer help to – male service members, while female veterans are “left to navigate unemployment, homelessness, hunger, and physical and mental abuse alone.”

In Southern California there is a program run by the non-profit U.S. Vets Initiative to provide housing for female veterans and their children, but these programs are rare. In an interview with some female veterans they spoke about how they have slept in alleys, lived in cars and gone hungry for days.

“We go through a lot of financial problems, emotional problems, health problems and it just pushes a lot of us over the edge to the point where we end up having a lot of psychological problems. That makes it difficult for us to focus and to make it out here in society,” one woman said.

There is also a shocking amount of harassment and assault in the military. In fact, a woman in the military is more likely to be assaulted by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire.

Many women are coming back with significant trauma related to these abuses which, when layered on top of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD, a common anxiety disorder experienced by people who return from a war), makes it especially difficult to get back into everyday life.

How do you feel about the hardships that female war veterans face in our society today?

What do you think we could do to protect women and help them get back on their feet?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Kristen

New Moon Intern

On May 15, 2011, Jen Hilton will become the first woman to play alongside men in the British American Football Association’s Community League! She is playing with and against men and her first game will be in Bristol, England against the all-male Bristol Aztecs.

Jen will be playing American Football – not soccer! She is a running back, which is a position on the field. She will be receiving handoffs from the quarterback, catching long passes and blocking. In this position she will be “guaranteed contact with burly blokes.”

“I saw American football on telly (television) a few years ago and it’s just so interesting and totally different from any other sport I had seen,” she said. She heard about the British league, decided that she wanted to practice with the premier team, the Coventry Jets, and went to join!

Jen said that she got a really good reaction when she showed up and everyone was very professional about it.

“This is a really positive step showing that it is ability that matters in our highly competitive sport,” said Gary Marshall, Chairman of the British American Football Association.

At 27 years of age Jen Hilton is making history as the first woman to play the full-contact game at a premier league level.

What do you think about Jen Hilton? How would you feel about being the only woman in a contact sport like football?

What do you think this could mean for women’s history?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Kristen

New Moon Intern

How would you feel if you couldn’t go into a restaurant or store or on a plane with your family because you are too young?

Parents of young families can often have trouble finding places to eat out in restaurants, shop, and take vacations.

Allison Stevens,mother of two young boys, said that once she was at an Indian restaurant with her family and the owners tried to persuade her to order take-out instead. In the restaurant I work at, a lot of people come in and ask to be seated away from children!

Many hotel owners also say that people who stay with them cannot have young children also staying in the hotel.

And recently in the United Kingdom, a survey of passengers on airplanes found that a majority of business travelers rank children as their top in-flight annoyance. The trade group actually called for a ban on children for certain airline flights.

Businesses are saying “no” to children more and more.

Allison says that instead of banning children from public spaces that we try to make them more family-friendly! This way kids and families don’t have to be left out, and everyone can be happy.

She proposes more family care restrooms and more play areas for children at restaurants and cafes. Some of her suggestions for airlines include changing tables in airplane bathrooms, child-friendly snack options, and assistance for parents in general.

Is it fair for children to be banned from public places? Have adults or businesses ever made you feel unwelcome?

How do you think businesses or airlines could be made more family-friendly?

Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Kristen

New Moon Intern

I went to Los Angeles for International Women’s Day one year ago with one goal, but what happened instead was much different than I ever expected.

I went intending to participate in a march called Join Me On the Bridge to support the women of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in making a call for peace in their war-torn countries. These women are the main targets of violence in the wars that have been going on for at least 16 years; wars that are being fought over resources and power.

These women who have been brutalized all these years are the ones to make a stand for the violence to end.

I was disappointed to find that at this march there was no mention of the plight of these women. Instead, I found they were bringing awareness to what was happening in their own community.

After the march, we went to Homegirl Cafe, and heard about the amazing work that Father Greg Boyle has done to help people in L.A. turn their lives around and work to help themselves. One woman told her story about how Father Greg found her in jail, and changed her life by offering her a job. He made her realize that she could want more for herself. Instead of going back to selling drugs and living on the streets, she started work at Homegirl Cafe.

“Now I have my own apartment and my own car,” the woman said, overcome with emotion.

This made me realize that this march stood for supporting women in ending violence everywhere, from gang violence in L.A. to the war in the DRC. I started out wanting to support one group of women, and instead supported the empowerment women everywhere.

What will you do to celebrate International Women’s Day?

See if there is a Join Me On the Bridge event near you, or find out how you can start your own here!

Megan

NMG Online Editor