Even if 'bossy' could be banned, there are far better ways to boost girls' self-esteem | Hadley Freeman

Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg and Beyoncé want to ban the word 'bossy' as disparaging to women. It's a good start, but there's so much more to be done. Here are my top tipsThat growing numbers of girls suffer from issues of self-esteem during adolescence – ones that can be carried over into adulthood – is not up for debate. What is debatable is what should be done about this. Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook and author of the bestselling feminist-ish book Lean In, has come up with her own typically high-powered and certainly well-intentioned solution: to ban the word "bossy". "When a little boy asserts himself, he's called a 'leader'. Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded 'bossy'," she writes.It will come as a massive surprise to no one to learn that I was called bossy quite a lot as a kid, and still am (although I wouldn't have to be bossy if people would just bloody well do as I say). Yet it's never bothered me, mainly because I grew up idolising Miss Piggy and Lucy van Pelt from Peanuts, and never saw bossiness as anything other than a wholly commendable quality. But for those unacquainted with the mighty pig, Sandberg has made a video featuring herself, Condoleezza Rice, Beyoncé and others, arguing that the word "bossy" should be "banned" (in the self-censoring sense, one suspects, as opposed to the, you know, legal one) because it's a way of telling confident girls to shut up.Insults are often gendered – in adulthood at... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Beijing launches dedicated kids’ fair as China seeks to boost home-grown output

The Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) announcement yesterday (26th March), that it is to launch a dedicated children’s stream to run alongside its main event, has underscored China’s burgeoning power in the international sector. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book of Parisienne portraits goes after three-way auction

Viking is publishing a book of 20 portraits of Parisiennes from it-girl Jeanne Damas and former French Elle editor Lauren Bastide following a "heated" three-way auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PLA 2018: In Opening Keynote, Sally Yates Defends Truth, Justice, and the American Way

Yates, the former U.S. Attorney General, urged librarians to stand up for truth in these unprecedented—and exhausting—political times. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook is testing ways to compensate video creators so it can cut into YouTube’s dominance

If you’re a die-hard fan of a Facebook video creator, the social network may soon give you a way to pay for exclusive content and award you with a digital badge to declare your fandom. Those are some of the new ideas Facebook is introducing in the coming months to test ways to build up its... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Granta wins history of deified men after five-way auction

Granta Books has won a five-way auction for Accidental Gods, a history of men deified against their will – from Haile Selassie to Prince Philip, to Captain Cook, Columbus and the conquest of the New World. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The problem with Hairy Maclary: Meet the Rebel Girls putting women into picture books

Women are half the world's population and the majority of university graduates. They are most of the young doctors, lawyers and accountants. A girl can grow up to be a prime minister, a priest, a prison guard, and yes, even a princess. There's a million and one ways to be a woman in today's... Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2018-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Galassi, After Two Decades, Makes Way for Angel at FSG

After more than two decades as publisher of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Jonathan Galassi is stepping down from the role. Later this year, Mitzi Angel, the former publisher of Faber and Faber, will take the reigns at the Macmillan division. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Whisper Man goes to MJ after five-way auction

Michael Joseph has acquired two psychological thrillers from Alex North after a five-way auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Picador wins 14-way auction for 'heart-stopping' debut

Picador has triumphed in a 14-way auction for a "heart-stopping and gripping" debut novel set in the Pre-Raphaelite circle of Victorian London. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘A big resurgence’: Publishers get a boost from Twitter video

“Whether content does well on Facebook is in the lap of the gods. The algorithm is much more complex. Twitter has a consistency that Facebook doesn't.” The post ‘A big resurgence’: Publishers get a boost from Twitter video appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Even Barack Obama thinks Facebook and Google need to change their ways

The first president to have a Twitter account thinks social media needs to change. In what was supposed to be an off-the-record speech at MIT’s Sloan Sports Analytics Conference on Friday, Barack Obama shared his concerns about how social media has un-united these states of ours. Libertarian... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook program aims to boost local news subscriptions

Just because Facebook is downplaying publishers in your News Feed doesn't mean it's uninterested in giving media outlets a helping hand. The social network's Journalism Project is launching a Local News Subscriptions Accelerator that will help "metro... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2018-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Unprecedented demand' for Rebel Girls 2, reveals publisher

The company behind the  “Rebel Girls” series is already planning a second print run for book two, due for release next week, following “unprecedented demand” for the title, a spokesperson has told The Bookseller. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ban Ki-moon memoir to John Murray

John Murray is publishing a memoir by the former secretary general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Comma collects Travel Ban troupe

Independent publisher Comma Press bands together with US firm Deep Vellum to publish an anthology of seven stories by writers affected by the US’ recent Travel Ban. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dear bloggers, blagging is no way to make a living

OPINION: Let's start with a caveat: I like free stuff. I don't know anyone who doesn't, frankly. This could be because I'm a journalist and have been the grateful beneficiary of free books (for me to review), free theatre or cinema tickets (for pre-research before interviewing an actor) and free... Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2018-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is May’s press inquiry just a way of putting Leveson 2 on the back burner? | Roy Greenslade

I hope the PM is sincere in her desire to save journalism for the public good. But so much depends on the scope of the reviewThe prime minister’s decision to hold an inquiry into “the sustainability of Britain’s printed press” received little more than a cautious welcome from newspaper... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Woman in the Window: Is Daniel Mallory's debut novel the new Gone Girl?

Daniel Mallory was in the LAX lounge on his way back from a break in Palm Springs when his agent rang and said: "We've been resisting Hollywood because we wanted to close the publishing deal first, but Fox have offered US$1 million  for the book – do you want it?'" For any novelist, let alone... Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2018-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Usborne wins six-way auction for Bell's debut in 'significant' deal

Usborne has acquired three books by debut author P G Bell in what has been described as the publisher's “most significant acquisition to date”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook bans ads for cryptocurrencies and ICOs

Facebook has announced a new advertising policy which ban ads for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. The ban also applies to ICOs because they are "frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices." The social network says that the new policy is a part of a drive to... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2018-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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