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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How One Writer Cooked Her Way Through Great Literature

From Jane Austen's white soup to a liver mousse inspired by 'Silence of the Lambs,' butcher and writer Cara Nicoletti explores recipes inspired by classic and contemporary book. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pulp Fiction as a Way of Escape in Malaysia

In Malaysia, publishers including Buku Fixi and Legen Press, are capitalizing on social media to find writers of pulp fiction, selling 1m+ copies. The post Pulp Fiction as a Way of Escape in Malaysia appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kobo Hopes Payments Will Boost ABA Partnership

Dubbed “eRead Local” the program will run for 100 days, during which time participating ABA members will receive $5 for every new Kobo customer they deliver. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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7 Ways to Get People to Share Your Snapchat Messages, Even Ads

Snapchat has been a lot more ad friendly of late. It still lacks some features brands love—giving users an easy way to follow their accounts and like their content, for instance—but it finally implemented the ability to share. Sharing is limited to the Discover section, where 12 digital... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: ‘Girl on the Train’ Can't Be Beat

Paula Hawkins’s thriller was, once again, the top selling book in Apple’s iBooks store. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Girls like digital media while boys prefer print, finds study on reading habits

National Literacy Trust report also says girls continue to outpace boys in their enthusiasm for reading for pleasureGirls have more firmly embraced digital literacy and formats such as Facebook, email and text message, while boys are more comfortable with traditional printed media such as... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Comic books get super boost from superhero movies

Comic book-inspired films such as The Avengers have increased interest in comics in general, Christchurch comics fans say. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2015-05-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canongate to publish A Girl and Her Greens

Canongate will publish a new cookbook from Birmingham-born chef April Bloomfield featuring recipes using vegetables, titled A Girl and Her Greens.   Jenny Lord, senior editor at Canongate, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Cullen Stanley at Janklow and Nesbit.    Bloomfield is the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple reportedly wants free Spotify dead to pave way for Beats relaunch

As Apple works toward a relaunch of its Beats Music streaming service, it’s reportedly pushing labels to kill off the free version of Spotify.It’s a bold move by Apple if The Verge’s unnamed sources are accurate, coming less than two years after a judge found that the company colluded with... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2015-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Every Girl Can for Macmillan

Macmillan has signed Women in Football co-founder Anna Kessel to write the “ultimate handbook for every woman who cares about sport”. Non-fiction publisher Robin Harvie bought UK and Commonwealth rights to Every Girl Can from Richard Pike at Curtis Brown. Kessel, who is also a writer at the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How one publisher is working around Facebook’s pre-roll ad ban

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[ Digiday | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Netflix Just Announced Its Green Eggs and Ham Series in the Most Seussian Way

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[ AdWeek | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can anything challenge 'The Girl on the Train' as the breakout book of 2015?

We're not even halfway through the year, so there's plenty of time for another book to become a success, but 'Train' continues to dominate bestseller lists months after its publication. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zoella goes it alone with Girl Online 2

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[ The Guardian | 2015-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Banned Books Week 2015 will center on young adult titles

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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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DC Debuts Line of Super Hero Graphic Novels, Merchandise for Girls

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With New Film, 'Diary of a Teenage Girl' Gets New Edition

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl' Gets New Life

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hey, Book World: Sexism is Way Bigger Than the Hugos

Hugo Award clowns aside, there's another literary scandal that we should actually be worried about. The post Hey, Book World: Sexism is Way Bigger Than the Hugos appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2015-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Girl on the Train reaches number one

Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train (Doubleday) climbs sixteen places to claim the UK number one on the Official Top 50 in its 11th week on the chart. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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