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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DC Taps Pop Star Gerard Way to Launch New Comics Imprint

Looking to revitalize its comics for a new generation of readers, DC is launching Young Animal, a new imprint of edgy superhero titles under the direction of pop music star Gerard Way. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Faber bags 'intimate' debut after seven-way auction

Faber has acquired Conversations with Friends, a "startling" and "intimate" debut novel from Sally Rooney, after a seven-way auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Audio Book Club Hangs Out With the Girls

To listen to the Audio Book Club discussion of The Girls, click the arrow on the player below. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2016-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Virago signs memoir of Gilmore Girls' Lauren Graham

Virago has signed a "funny and intimate" memoir from actress and producer Lauren Graham, star of American TV series "Gilmore Girls" and "Parenthood". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Controversy Mounts Over Facebook 'Napalm Girl' Censorship

UPDATE: After this post was published, Facebook said in a statement that it would allow the photo in question to appear on its platform. "Because of its status as an iconic image of historical importance," the company said, "the value of permitting sharing outweighs the value of protecting the... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sphere wins 'life-affirming story' in six-way auction

Sphere Fiction has won a "hotly-contested" six-way auction to publish Eva Woods' "life-affirming" story of love, loss and female friendship, How to be Happy, in October 2017. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Modern Girl's Guide spoof titles from Mills & Boon

Romance publisher and HarperCollins imprint Mills & Boon is to launch a "fun and feminist" series of humour books which "celebrate the sisterhood from A to Z". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eimear McBride | 'I was really bored with the way sex is written about'

Eimear McBride talks to Alice O'Keeffe about the follow-up to her prize-winning début, an exploration of an intense relationship set during mid-90s London.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: One Harry and Two Girls

J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 and 2' continues its domination of the iBooks chart as it nets another #1 slot, followed by Amy Schumer and Paula Hawkins. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Girl With All the Gifts follow-up to Orbit

Orbit is publishing a new novel by bestselling author M R Carey, The Boy on the Bridge. It will be set in the same world as "word-of-mouth phenomenon" The Girl With All the Gifts that has since been turned into a film by Warner Bros starring Gemma Arterton. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wattpad writers to boost income through ad revenues

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Freeman's Fifty Paths to Creative Photography to Ilex

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bridget Jones's Baby on the way into print, Helen Fielding says

To accompany forthcoming film of the same name, the book will recount the bestselling heroine’s ‘somewhat bumpy journey into motherhood’Bridget Jones is back: author Helen Fielding has reunited with her bumbling, much-loved creation yet again, with the latest instalment in her misadventures set... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cursed Child waits in the wings as The Girl on the Train thunders on

The Girl on the Train (Black Swan) has held the UK Official number one spot for a fifth non-consecutive week, the longest-running fiction number one since E L James’ Grey (Arrow). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orion Spring buys 'game-changer' gardening book in three-way auction

Orion Spring is publishing a guide for novice gardeners by self-taught gardener Hollie Newton, following a three-way auction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mantle acquires The Other Bennet Girl

Mantle has acquired The Other Bennet Girl, a second novel by Janice Hadlow, for publication in 2018. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Robert Webb to Canongate and Audible after 13-way auction

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Titan Entertainment: Pop Culture Any Way You Like

Best known as the publisher of such global comics hits as the Doctor Who series and gritty bestsellers from its Hard Case Crime imprint, Titan Entertainment Group is a sprawling, multifaceted family-owned media company focused on pop culture. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The land of the Freeman

Want to start a literary journal? Tread carefully, warns John Freeman: “The truth is, no journal is sustainable as a business. They are either dependent on a wealthy benefactor and donations, or are non-profits or funded by universities. Longevity [of a journal] is pretty tricky.” Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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