Adele is up for six well-deserved Grammy awards going into Sunday night’s ceremonies, but she deserves kudos from women everywhere.  The 23-year-old Briton is a vocal powerhouse, and her retro-soul has ruled the music charts for most of 2011. Her second album, 21, topped the music charts for most of last year, and it’s still number one this week, smashing Madonna’s record for the most consecutive weeks spent at number one by a female artist.
Adele is also a proud and gutsy woman who refuses to apologize for her appearance.  When …

Reprinted with the express permission of Pink Skies filmmaker Gulcin Gilbert (photo below). The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.

Next screening of “Pink Skies“:
Beverly Hills Film, TV &
   New Media Festival
Wednesday, October 26th at 8:10 pm
Laemmle Music Hall 3
9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills
Receive all-access VIP passes by emailing: bhfestival@gmail.com

In September of 2009, Jump For the Cause (JFTC), a remarkable skydiving event took place, at Perris Valley, CA. Along with successively breaking the “all women” skydiving formation record with each …

Reprinted from The Huffington Post with the express permission of the author and The Huffington Post.
The above is one of several images in the information section of Merck's Web site for its product Gardasil. Click the image to browse the site, or enter this URL: gardasil.com. During the CNN Tea Party Debate this past Monday, sparks flew over an executive order issued by Governor Rick Perry in 2007 mandating an HPV vaccination for all sixth-grade girls. At that time, Perry was the first (and only) governor to issue such an …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
being Ana: a memoir of anorexia nervosaThe image accompanying this text is not a generic stock library photograph for which I paid a royalty fee, although it could be. We all know decapitated, limbless, faceless, nameless women are all the rage in advertising. It would make the perfect backdrop (bar the luminous green Lycra sweatpants) for catchy text lambasting women’s brains in order to sell ‘wonder’ beer. Instead, it’s more personal than that. …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Older mothers, obesity, poverty and C-sections were blamed on the spike in maternal deaths. – California WatchAccording to a study completed for the California Department of Public Health in 2010, and released in April 2011, there was an alarming increase in maternal deaths associated with pregnancy related complications in California (see the report) . The rate of maternal deaths in California has nearly tripled in the past decade. While the numbers are …

When I posted The New Agenda’s recent video on eating disorders to my Facebook page, something unusual happened.  I got comments.  Similar posts to my wall typically generate digital silence, but this time, parents thanked me for sharing on a topic that not only doesn’t get enough attention, but when it does, manages to be completely off the mark.
Ask why the rates of eating disorders and depression in young females are escalating and you’ll get a bunch of quick and facile expert explanations that either blame the victim, her hormones …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
This past year, I have fallen in love with Lisbeth Salander, one of the most riveting, exciting, tough, and empowered literary heroines ever created. And what kills me is that a man conjured her up, giving her skills, smarts, and strength with which to defend herself against a misogynistic andviolent society that targets women and their supposed frailty. Lisbeth Salander might be less than five feet tall, but she fights back physically and intellectually, her instincts for …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
The mother of French model Isabelle Caro committed suicide; Marie Caro’s death was attributed to her depression over her daughter’s death from anorexia.  Isabelle Caro died in mid November from complications of anorexia, which she battled most of her life.  While Caro was very close to her mother, she felt that her mother’s phobia with growth and growing up was a factor in her battle with anorexia.  By not eating, Caro could remain a …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
When news of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was first aired, the reports were confusing and sometimes contradictory. Some news reports stated she had died, but other reports had stated she had survived. Sheppard Smith said her type of injury had a 5% survival rating. Greta van Susteren attempted to untangle the conflicting reports.
We now know that Congresswoman Giffords is alive and is recovering well. With such a low percentage of survivors …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda. This article has been cross-posted with permission from the blog Hardy Girls Healthy Women.
This summer I traveled to Colombia and stayed in Cali, a city known for being the country’s “capital of beautiful women.” Knowing this I was even more intrigued to see how gender roles and representation play themselves out.
I saw some crazy things:
Translation: Anorexia Style Shop
Yep, a store named after the devastating eating …