8 Tips to Boost a Girl's Self-image
The media has played a big role in setting airbrushed, unattainable expectations for the "ideal" body. Just this week, Barbie was featured on the cover wrap for the 50th anniversary edition of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit accompanying the tagline, "unapologetic." Whether or not the doll icon has something to apologize for we can't say, but we do know that the "doll that started it all" plays a big role in showcasing what sorts of images and expectations our little girls (and boys, too) are soaking up.
To help combat this phenomenon, parents have to take a strong stance and help their children, especially their daughters, create a positive, powerful self-image. From watching how you yourself use words like "thin" versus "healthy" to encouraging a positive dialogue throughout your extended family, these 8 vital tips (along with easy ways to implement them) will help you boost the self-image of the girls in your life. It may be the most important story you read this year.
If you haven't downloaded the Gospel Library App, now's the time! This week the Church announced that new updates not only streamline the app, making it easier to use, but also include performance-enhancement and other bug fixes. If you already have a version of the app on your phone, you can always update it to take advantage of these latest and greatest innovations. (After all, there are over 2,200 items you can download from the app in English, from scriptures to Ensign articles and lesson manuals.)
Don't forget to give the Church feedback through the app itself on ways it can improve its technology in the future!
From viral LDS blogger Seth Adam Smith (of "Marriage Isn't For You" fame) comes another killer blog post, this one titled, "I'm Letting My Wife Go." No, neither Smith nor his wife has filed for divorce. As you might expect, he means something different than what the title reads at first blush.
The concept is simple: a well-adjusted couple can "let each other go" to chase their individual passions and dreams. At the end of the day, you are still in a union and you'll spend a lot of your lives together, but there's something to be said for having individual goals, and then allowing one another to pursue those goals.
But don't take our word for it--Smith is a gifted writer and his perspective is best read in his own words.
Do you use your phone or tablet in church? For church-related materials only, or ocassionally a little something else? Whether you check the score of the game, browse the web, or play games, here's the current breakdown on people who'll admit to the habit:
79% of you bring electronics to church either in lieu of or addition to print materials.
36% of you admit to ocassionaly using these devices to do something other than read your church materials
73% of you find others using electronics in church meetings distracting (62% admit they're only distracting if the electronics are being used for non-church activities)
You can still vote in the poll and leave us your thoughts in comments on the blog--check it out now for the latest results and discussion.
Frozen Covers
Disney's Frozen has become the center of quite a debate in the LDS world--does the movie promote non-Christian ideas? Opinions on the controversy range from conspiracy theories to plain indifference.
We're not sure which camp we fall into, but we definitely enjoyed some of the other LDS-relevant publicity the movie recieved through these two amazing covers of "Let it Go" (the movie's seminal song) by Alex Boye and the Piano Guys: