Rating Girls on Social Media

This was in the news yesterday.

March Madness Bracket Rates High School Girls

At a high school in Maryland, some guys set up a bracket of the top 4 best looking girls in each grade, then they would vote for the best looking.

And it's all public, on social media.

Use this news story as a talking point with your kids to see what they're seeing on social media.

Does it matter? Why is this ok or why is it wrong? How does it affect the guys voting and how does it affect the girls?

What's interesting, is some girls do this to each other (pretty much) on Instagram....mainly in middle school. They vote each other out of a contest of girls, based on the pictures posted. That's not much different, do you think?

Discussion Starters: Have you seen girls or guys do this to each other on Instagram? Why do people do this? How do you think it makes people feel?

Why She Prayed Each Day To Be Lighter

Dark skinned beauty is less represented in our culture than it should be, that's a given. Have you read or watched this amazing speech that left Oprah and Chaka Khan (among others) speechless?

Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, of 12 Years a Slave, felt so underrepresented by the entertainment industry as a young girl of Kenyan descent growing up in Mexico City, that she prayed she “would wake up lighter skinned”. She would check each morning to see if God answered her prayers.

He didn't, at least not in the way she originally wanted. Watch this moving speech.

I think she is proof that beauty comes in all shades.

Thank goodness for role models like her.

Tulsans, A Must See- if you like stories of hope and forgiveness

A friend of mine passed this news on to me today. An author of one of the most riveting books I've read will be in Tulsa this week to speak at a church.

I must pass this opportunity along.

Immaculee Ilibagiza, the author of "Left to Tell- Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust"  is going to be speaking this Wednesday night at St. Benedict Catholic Church, 2200 W. Ithica in Broken Arrow. 

She is the woman that survived the Rwandan Genocide by hiding in a bathroom with 6 other women for 90 days while the Hutus used machetes to kill the Tutsis to death. She has a great message of survival and forgiveness.

It's not often we get to see someone in person who has survived such horrible circumstances, chosen to forgive and use the experience to inspire people. 



I urge you to read her book.

And to come see her speak if you can!

Too Much for Mom?

Let's get controversial- I have some friends and girls I respect that I know will disagree with me, and let me say I'm not into bashing PEOPLE, and I've sung along to Beyonce before, but I AM into being discerning of intake.

I'm sharing this blog from The Matt Walsh Blog today, as food for thought. So take a moment and read America- You're Too Smart To Listen To Beyonce before continuing.

I share this because of the point he's making- about being careful of the input we are listening to and putting into our spirits. If you read the lyrics and subject matter of the songs referred to, I agree- which is why some music, tv shows and movies I won't listen to or watch...for me, it's really because I respect my mind and spirit too much to let things that I feel are going to not feed my spirit in a positive way or will "kill brain cells" (my words).

Obviously Beyonce is an amazing performer, but I'm saying if we want to be discerning about input that affects our insides, as much as people are into being discerning about food that's put inside of us that affect our bodies, this is something to think about at least.

Can I listen to things that are opposite of what I believe in and teach?

As someone asked me "What do you think is going to happen if you do listen to it?" Nothing dramatic in small doses maybe, but if that becomes the normal intake, do we believe that what goes in doesn't affect our thoughts at all? Or affect our culture at all? It's at least something to think about.

It's interesting that Beyonce said in an interview she's too embarrassed to play these songs in front of her mom. 

As my husband has told our kids, which is a pretty balanced perspective, once in a while we can have junk food, but we have to be careful what it is and how much we have, or it affects our health. We need to watch our "diet".

H also tells them if they find themselves in bad moods, sad or having attitudes, they should stop and take a look at their music and media intake. It affects us.

I would love if Beyonce used her amazing talent for a better message. She's such an influencer of young people, both girls and guys alike.

Please feel totally free to share your thoughts, whether you agree or not. I'm interested to hear. If you disagree, I'd love to hear the reasons why.

I am into making people think, so I'm open to people making ME think. :)

What do you think?