New Moon rocks...others, yeah, not so much
New Moon Girls is incredible because it is made by young girls, not simply for them. In the sample issue, various topics such as mood swings, haunted houses, and historical accounts of the Salem Witch Trials are explored by girls for girls. I think that other sites like freechild.org, or newglobalcitizens.org, which clearly cater to an older girl, are less approachable and definitely less user friendly. I love the setup of New Moon Girls, mainly because it is clear that it is produced by girls, and because it is so heavily influenced by adolescents, it really appeals to what a young girl would be interested in looking at and reading. Without being pedantic, or childish, it offers a great option to families searching for something wholesome and inspiring. Although girlsinc.org is also pretty manageable and easy to navigate, I'm not crazy about the way it categorizes the site into strong, smart, inspiring, and bold girls. Girls are constantly bombarded with pressure to be something beyond what they are... acceptance is unfortunately not a major theme when it comes to literature for women. Girls do not need something to tell them how they need, and can be, stronger, bolder, smarter; and although I don't see that as the intent of the website, I do see it as a possible consequence. Categorization sucks. It creates a narrow minded and limited attitude; I can just see a girl thinking, am I a)bold, b)strong, c)inspiring, d)none of the above, or e)all of the above? And once they identify with a word and a category, they can begin the journey towards the mirage of self-realization and actualization of that idea of what they should be. That being said, I think the web site is better than others I've seen, and certainly better than nothing, but I was just immediately put off by the tabs at the top. I really like the content, and the advice; but the set-up just seems to be like an extended result of a personality quiz.
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