Misc.

The Susan G. Komen Board of Directors and Founder/CEO Nancy Brinker issued a statement today revising the controversial funding policy that caused an uproar earlier this week:

We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives.  The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen.  We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood.  They were not.
Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation.  We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.
Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer.  Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process.  We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities.
It is our hope and we believe it is time for everyone involved to pause, slow down and reflect on how grants can most effectively and directly be administered without controversies that hurt the cause of women.  We urge everyone who has participated in this conversation across the country over the last few days to help us move past this issue.  We do not want our mission marred or affected by politics – anyone’s politics.
Starting this afternoon, we will have calls with our network and key supporters to refocus our attention on our mission and get back to doing our work.  We ask for the public’s understanding and patience as we gather our Komen affiliates from around the country to determine how to move forward in the best interests of the women and people we serve.

We extend our deepest thanks for the outpouring of support we have received from so many in the past few days and we sincerely hope that these changes will be welcomed by those who have expressed their concern.

Cecile Richards, of Planned Parenthood Federation issued this statement:

“The outpouring of support for women in need of lifesaving breast cancer screening this week has been astonishing and is a testament to our nation’s compassion and sincerity.

“During the last week, millions spontaneously joined a national conversation about lifesaving breast cancer prevention care and reinforced shared values about access to health care for all.  This compassionate outcry in support of those most in need rose above political, ideological, and cultural divides, and will surely be recognized as one of our nation’s better moments during a contentious political time.  Planned Parenthood thanks each and every person who has contributed to elevating the importance of breast cancer prevention for so many women in need.

“In recent weeks, the treasured relationship between the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation and Planned Parenthood has been challenged, and we are now heartened that we can continue to work in partnership toward our shared commitment to breast health for the most underserved women.  We are enormously grateful that the Komen Foundation has clarified its grantmaking criteria, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Komen partners, leaders and volunteers.  What these past few days have demonstrated is the deep resolve all Americans share in the fight against cancer, and we honor those who are at the helm of this battle.

“Planned Parenthood has been a trusted partner with the Komen Foundation in early cancer detection and prevention services.  In particular, Planned Parenthood helps the Komen Foundation reach vulnerable populations — low-income women, African-American women, and Latinas — especially in rural areas and underserved communities where Planned Parenthood health centers are their only source of health care.  With Komen Foundation grants, over the past five years, Planned Parenthood health centers provided nearly 170,000 clinical breast exams and more than 6,400 mammogram referrals.  With the outpouring of support over the past week, even more women in need will receive lifesaving breast cancer care.”

In an attempt to close a gender gap in its sales, The LEGO Group has widened the gap in the toy aisles. The toymaker is set to launch LEGO Friends, the day after Christmas. According to a press release, LEGO Friends is, “a new play theme that tailors the iconic LEGO construction experience especially to girls ages five and up. LEGO Friends delivers on a girl’s desire for realistic role-play, creativity, and a highly-detailed, character-based world with the core values of LEGO building.”

It sounds good in theory – a line of toys that has practically ignored the fact girls exist finally acknowledges 51 percent of the population. Just look at the existing product catalog. With the exception of the Statue of Liberty, there are no girls. But in execution, it is very, very flawed.

LEGO Group embarked on “four years of research, design, and exhaustive testing,” according to this article in Businessweek, and determined girls hate the little LEGO figures. Perhaps that’s because those figures are mainly men and girls want to see themselves reflected in their toys? But the LEGO team concluded it was about looks. Hanne Groth, Lego’s market research manager, told Businessweek, “The greatest concern for girls really was beauty.”  So LEGO Friends includes six new colors – light blues, shades of pink and purple – and new “lady figures” that are taller and curvier than the existing line.

To be fair, the research also revealed girls enjoy “realistic role-play, creativity, and a highly-detailed, character-based world,” and LEGO Friends aims to address that requirement. How they do that however, is disturbing.

LEGO claims that with the new line it wants to stay true to its values – to develop children’s creative and imaginative abilities through high-quality, creatively educational play materials – and to not shy away from the fact that LEGOs are first and foremost a building toy. However, LEGO seems to think girls can’t imagine beyond stereotypical female roles. The Friend sets include a bakery, a splash pool, a stage, a puppy house, a butterfly beauty shop and a house. Not included: a city, a race car, an airport, superheroes.

Twenty years in marketing has taught me never to trust a focus group of one. But when I read in the Businessweek article that LEGO group CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp’s enthusiasm for the new Friends line, “comes partly, he says, ‘from casual observation: I have two wonderful daughters next to my two sons, and they are in a very narrow age range, 4 to 10, so I have a little home study,’” I did my own home research.

I asked my seven year-old daughter, “Do you like those little LEGO people?”

“Yes,” she says. (I already knew that.)

“This article I’m reading says girls hate them.”

Her mouth opens in disbelief.

“The article says girls don’t like them because they’re not pretty.”

Her jaw falls open a little more. After a pause she says, “Yes they are. They might not be wearing girl suits but they’re wearing their job suits.”

And that makes sense to her. Now Knudstorp has two master’s degrees, and a doctorate, completed coursework at both MIT’s Sloan School of Management and Harvard, and has a Y chromosome. My daughter does not.

We know there is a major gender gap in the STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and math. And research asserts that negative stereotypes – the idea that boys are better at math and science- can affect girls’ test performance. It is frustrating, that in a cheap attempt to market its toys to girls and create a much-needed new revenue stream for the company, LEGO Group is feeding into the stereotype.

My daughter snuggled up to me as I was finishing this post. “Why are you writing about LEGOS?” she asked me.

“Remember I told you the company thinks girls don’t like LEGOS because they are ugly? Well I don’t like the new product line they’re launching. The company seems to think girls just want to do their hair and chat.”

She makes her little OMG-I-totally-know what-you-mean-mom face designed to show me she’s smart and our thought processes are aligned. To underscore my point, I show her the promotional video for Friends. I watch her as she watches it and I see the look on her face morph.

Like most little girls, my daughter has consumed a steady diet of media messages telling her a girl’s value comes from her looks. And despite her mom’s best efforts to teach her otherwise, she believes. Her eyes light up at the pretty little lady figures and she says almost breathless, “I want that.”

Damn you LEGO! Thanks for nothing.

For more on the new LEGO line:

Sign the petition and tell LEGO to stop selling out girls.

Tell LEGO to “bring back beautiful.”

Read how the Girl Scouts are using LEGOS to address the gap in the STEM fields.

Courtesy of: OnlineSchools.com

It’s been tough finding the time to write this month but I am thankful for the busy job and the family that compete for Hello Ladies’ time. Click on the links below for some other reasons I am thankful.

I am thankful for cousins and Cape Cod.

I am thankful for my body.

I am thankful for the women who inspire me.

I am thankful for all of you who are helping to put an end to domestic violence.

And I am thankful for the Hello Ladies community of women, and a few good men, who read, comment and share. Happy Thanksgiving.