By Bailey Shoemaker Richards The Hunger Games trilogy is not just a series of books about a dystopian society. Although the books are written for a young adult audience, Suzanne Collins injects the books with enough metaphor, social commentary and allusions to Rome to keep me writing and talking for days. One of the most…
By Bailey Shoemaker Richards In mid-March, I entered what initially seemed like it could easily have become a nightmare: I went to Disney World as a chaperon for my sister’s high school dance team. Dance teams, like cheerleaders, tend to have a Mean Girls reputation, and I was nervous about hanging out with a group…
By Bailey Shoemaker Richards February 18 marks a change in my TV watching habits. Normally, the only things I’ll be caught watching are Doctor Who, Castle and the occasional cartoon (with my little brother, of course). I get most of my news and op-ed information from blogs, Twitter and news sites, usually read on my…
SPARK mailed LEGO a certified letter on Tuesday to follow-up on our request for a meeting. We’ve asked for LEGO to contact us by Tuesday, Feb. 6th. Stay tuned. By Bailey Shoemaker Richards SPARK and our partners might be waiting for a response to our letter to LEGO, but we are certainly not sitting around.…
By Bailey Shoemaker Richards The start of a new year brings around the time for resolutions, and for some reason, the collective cultural resolution seems to be weight loss – for women. Every ad for Atkins or the latest diet fad that promises women to help them shed pounds at an unhealthy rate reminds women…
This is the second in a two-part series on “Becoming A Pop Culture Pirate.” By Bailey Shoemaker Richards Advertising is one of the most pervasive and inescapable parts of life, both online and off. All forms of media, from advertising to movies to books and music, are an integral part of our daily lives, and…
By Bailey Shoemaker Richards After Stephanie’s post on how Lego has sold girls out by selling them pink, traditionally girly, stereotyped toys, I ended up having a conversation with Lego’s Twitter account (@LEGO_Group) about the new line of toys. They thanked me for sharing SPARK’s thoughts on the new line of toys and respectfully disagreed,…
By Bailey Shoemaker Richards One of the most frustrating things about being engaged with media as a viewer is trying to find those sources that aren’t problematic for young women, and this includes books. Although there is no dearth of reading material for young women, the fandom around books like the Twilight series makes me…