by Ben Ubiñas Victory. Sometimes, when you speak truth to power, power beats you down. But sometimes, you prevail. SPARK’s campaign to end Photoshopping in Seventeen Magazine has prevailed. The editor of Seventeen Magazine has taken the side of SPARK and the thousands of people who joined them, including me. She got the message and is…
By Emma Stydahar The past few months have been very exciting in terms of how women and girls are portrayed in print magazines. Firstly, after SPARK staged a protest in support of SPARK member Julia Bluhm’s petition urging Seventeen Magazine to change their photoshop policy, in this months issue of Seventeen editor-in-chief Ann Shoket announced…
SPARK bloggers Julia, Kaye, Crystal, and Seila talk about #KeepItReal, photo editing, body image, and more! Check ’em out! Julia: “We’re not saying it’s bad to have a certain body type. That’s what the media’s saying.” Kaye: “We know you’re not really selling us magazines. You’re selling us insecurity.” Crystal: “Where does that…
by Dana Edell, SPARK Executive Director 1988: the year Paula Abdul was known for being “Forever Your Girl,” Molly Ringwald played a pregnant high school student in For Keeps? and Lisa Bonet took her oversized blazers and funky hats to A Different World. And in 1988, I turned 13. In a nostalgically Back to the…
By Izzy Labbe It’s been a little over two months since awesome SPARK blogger Julia Bluhm and I walked into our cafeteria during lunchtime with my laptop, the April issue of Seventeen Magazine, and a few questions. We interviewed 15 seventh and eighth graders at our school, as well as our guidance counselor about the messages…
One of the best moments in the movie Mean Girls has to be when high schooler Cady enters her friend’s Halloween Party dressed as a vampire bride, complete with gory make-up, ghastly wig, and a mouth full of broken teeth. As she looks around at the array of strip club dancers, Playboy Bunnies, sexy mice, sexy cats, and…