"Puss in Boots" South Florida Premiere Rocks the Boat!

Kudos to Dreamworks & Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines for hosting the South Florida screening of "Puss in Boots" on the Allure of the Seas docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Guests were treated to a sumptuous brunch reception where the stars of the film, Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas attended. It was great timing to have both Latino stars at the event being that October is Hispanic Heritage month.

Salma Hayek & Antonio Banderas

As per the film itself, I was skeptical of it since most spin off characters movies from hit films usually go straight to DVD, however “Puss in Boots” sets those apart. The film is actually funny and witty with Shrek-styled jokes for the adults to catch. The storyline is entertaining with a few familiar fairy tailed friends from Shrek and some new surprise additions. There are beanstalks, golden eggs and dancing cats, add 3-D to the mix and it’s a must see film for all ages.

It is great to see Hollywood working more Latinos into  mainstream films even if its heavy Spanish accents behind cute animated cats for now.

Girls are struggling with media images

From television and the Internet to music and magazines, the media strongly affects girls’ physical, emotional and social health.

For girls, these three facets of health are interrelated. Self-esteem and body image are a critical part of girls’ health and can often be manifested socially and physically. Right now, girls are struggling with media images, which, as a constant presence in their lives, can hurt their self-esteem and limit their choices of substantive role models.

At the Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida, and in Councils across Florida and nationwide, we are addressing the effects of media images on girls. Our programs help to educate girls on the positive and negative aspects of their interactions with the media, but we cannot solve the problem alone.

Even though we have seen the rise of “girl power” and a more girl-centric media, some media images continue to send girls the wrong message. Even media images directed at children reinforce stereotypes that girls and women must achieve physical perfection to be valued. Too often, girls and women are depicted as sexualized objects valued only for their appearance and sex appeal, according to a recent study by the Geena Davis Institute. The same study notes that most female media characters are still passive and submissive to men and have limited aspirations, leaving girls without active, ambitious female role models.

The Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida can attest to the fact that girls use media images of females to measure their own character and physical appearance. They are often left feeling inadequate. These feelings can lead to serious consequences for girls’ physical, emotional, and social health. For example, the pressure to be thin in order to be beautiful is lowering the age at which girls begin dieting to as low as 8. It is increasing the number of girls suffering from eating disorders. Low self-esteem contributes to decreased success in school and extracurricular activities, premature sexual activity and unhealthy or unsafe relationships with boys.

However, healthy media images help girls have a positive body image, high aspirations, and healthy relationships. Our children should be able to learn, thrive, and lead in an environment full of positive images of girls and women.

We at the Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida provide a safe place for girls to grow into women of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. In the new Leadership Journey, It’s Your Story — Tell It!, program activities and discussions that get girls to think critically about the media, including its portrayal of girls and women, are woven into each grade-level journey with a variety of goals:

At the youngest grade levels, the aim is to get girls to understand marketing tactics for young consumers. As the girls get older, the focus shifts to the limited roles and opportunities that media gives women and girls, and the narrow definition of beauty that media displays. At the highest grade levels, the girls consider the portrayals of relationships between girls and women.

It’s Your Story —Tell It! explores some of the same themes found in uniquely ME!, but as a Girl Scout leadership journey series, it offers a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to building leadership. Self-esteem is a natural by-product of this particular journey because, through storytelling and creative expression, girls gain a better understanding of themselves and their potential, and gain the confidence to become leaders in their own lives and in the world.

However, it will take the support and effort of our entire community to ensure that our kids are receiving healthy media images. We are asking the community to join us in promoting policies and practices among our local government and businesses that provide healthy media images of girls and women. All children should be surrounded by images that inspire confidence and provide substantive role models.

It is time we make a strong commitment towards creating a community truly invested in girls’ success and health. Together we can ensure that Girl Scouts creates an environment that fosters its children’s health and well-being.

Irela Bagué is the chair of the board of directors of Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida, Inc.


Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/15/2454506/girls-are-struggling-with-media.html#ixzz1ayz1HIgM