Monster High & WeStopHate Partner to Empower Tween-Esteem

A girl’s self-esteem piques in 4th grade and plummets just one year later. It is in this spirit that Monster High, the popular tween franchise centered on the teenage children of famous monsters, has teamed up with WeStopHate’s founder, Emily-Anne Rigal the YouTube “cause-prenerur”, to take Emily-Anne’s online crusade to the halls of Monster High and scream her message of tween-esteem: “Those who are happy with themselves are less likely to put others down”

As a brand, Monster High celebrates individual fun freaky flaws, and this partnership aims to further that message by inspiring tween girls to celebrate and embrace their unique qualities that make them perfectly-imperfect by leveraging specially created online content, downloadable activities and an animated webisode featuring a monsterfied Rigal. The three-month multifaceted partnership with WeStopHate and Monster High kicked off for fans on May 13th and will run through back-to-school to inspire tween-esteem leading up to the first day of school.

Please visit www.freakyfab13.com to learn more about the partnership and the series of downloadable activities, encouraging a sense of empowerment through some spooktacular fun. Encourage mothers and their ghouls to download quickly, because on July 13, the content will come down, and a new activity will emerge!

May 13

• Monster High FreakyFab13.com Takeover: On May 13th, Monster High fans were introduced to “new student” Emily-Anne and the mission of WeStopHate.org. Now, on www.freakyfab13.com , ghouls are invited to download a series of activities – encouraging a sense of empowerment through some spooktacular fun:
  
• Self-Esteem Check List: developed by Rigal, this thirteen point checklist provides girls with helpful tips and tricks to inspire the freaky fab in all of us. From creating a fang-tastic playlist to rockin’ a gor-geous accessory as your signature piece, each serves to boost ones’ self-esteem.
   
• Love, Yourself Letter: inspired by Rigal’s “Love, Yourself Letters” on WeStopHate.org, this activity encourages girls to write themselves a letter on what makes them uniquely freaky fabulous.
  
• Monsterfied Mad-libs: in this monsterfied MadLib, Monster High student Draculaura™, who is unable to see her own reflection in the mirror, proves that trusting your ghoulfriends, that you are beautiful inside and out, can boost your confidence. 

June 13

• Mirror Mirror, on the Wall, Love Yourself – Imper-flections and All: Beginning July 13, also on FreakyFab13, Monster High will dig up an interactive online experience where girls will get to “take back the mirror,” and resurrect a positive self-reflection by re-writing how they view themselves – from the inside out. Girls are invited to take or upload a photo of themselves to the online mirror. Then, they are given a series of positive, monsterfied sayings that they can apply to their mirror, print out or save to celebrate their imper-flections. 

July - August

• Animated WeStopHate Webisode Debuts July: Leveraging the popularity of Monster High webisode content, which has generated more than 150 million video views, Rigal will become the star of a special Monster High webisode. As an animated monsterfied character, she will share the WeStopHate message of self-acceptance with Monster High students, Frankie Stein, Draculaura and the rest of the Monster High characters.
  
• And the monsters are just getting started… there is so much more to come! 

The partnership with Rigal is the second of its kind, for Monster High, further advancing the brand’s commitment to supporting girl-founded organizations that promote positive messages for tweens. In 2011, Monster High® partnered with the Kind Campaign, a girl founded movement and documentary dedicated to spreading messages of kindness. In 2012, the Monster High® furthers this commitment with WeStopHate, spreading the message that accepting and celebrating our imperfections and fostering positive self-esteem, can bring an end to self-hate.

Launched in 2010, the Monster High® franchise has quickly exploded in popularity attracting a highly engaged global student body of tween fans. The brand currently boasts the #2 largest Fashion Doll property according to The NPD Group[1], a New York Times best-selling chapter book series, heavily viewed animated online and television entertainment, more than a million “likes” on Facebook and a monsterously successful consumer products collection.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Book Review - The Case for Falling in Love

About the Book

Let’s face it, today’s “Relationship Advice Industry” is generally annoying, and for good reason.  Like new miracle diets, most of them don’t work.  Glutted by pop psychology and commercialized fads, the conventional wisdom in today’s books, movies and catch-phrases is over-simplified (“He’s just not that into you”), wrongly analyzed (“Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”), or just plain destructive.

According to Mari Ruti, PhD, that conventional wisdom implicitly convinces women that:

• …men and women are hopelessly different.
• …in order to attract a man, women must hide their strength, feelings and desires.
• …the only way to catch and keep a man is to manipulate him into new ways of thinking.

She says that these ideas have not only been proven wrong by reality (and history), they’ve proven to be destructive to women’s emotional makeup and psyche.

In her new book, the Case for Falling in Love, Mari Ruti urges women to ignore the noise, and redefine how they look for love; what they look for in love, and why they are looking.  By correctly analyzing the search for love—its pitfalls and triumphs—through the prism of Gender Issues, Ruti guides women toward emotionally healthy dating practices, non-combative (yet empowering) attitudes toward dating and the opposite sex, and the preservation of the beauty, mystery and nuance of classic Love and Romance.

Written in a funny, thought-provoking, and sharply intelligent style, Ruti’s Case for Falling Love engages and informs while dispelling today’s Top Misconceptions, such as:

• In order to make romance work, women need to learn to interpret the “male psyche” and develop a toolbox of luring techniques
• Women must resort to some variant of “Hard to Get” to win a man
• To succeed, women must “massage the male ego”
• Failures at Love are failures in Life
• …and More

More than just another self-help book, The Case for Falling in Love is a treatise on Love that refreshes and strengthens, while it enlightens and entertains.

About the Author

Mari Ruti was educated at Brown, Harvard and the University of Paris.  After finishing her Harvard doctorate, she spent four years as assistant director of the university’s program for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality.

She is currently associate professor of critical theory at the University of Toronto’s English Department, where she teaches contemporary theory, continental philosophy, psychoanalysis, gender studies and popular culture.  (Her lectures on love, sex and relationships are among the most popular on campus, often filling the classrooms and auditoriums to capacity).

Ruti is the author of two academic books:  Reinventing the Soul:  Posthumanist Theory and Psychic Life and A World of Fragile Things:  Psychoanalysis and The Art of Living.  She splits her time between Toronto, the East Coast, and Maui.

My Take on the Book

I have read a number of self-help books in the past and this one, though geared at women takes a common sense approach to the topic of relationships and falling in love and allows the reader to learn vast amounts of information in a fun and engaging way. I showed some of the parts to my wife and she mentioned that to her it was like the author was speaking directly to her, as if she was a close friend trying to listen and assist in any way she could.

This book has a little bit of everything for the person interested in dating, relationships or just romance. It is not a 100+ Ways type of book, but instead is a book that tries to spell out the truth and dispel many of the myths that exist out in the public eye in regards to relationships in general.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.  

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Messages4u: A New Way To Express Your Feelings

About the Product 
There lies a discrepancy as to how much we perceive to share our feelings, and how much we acknowledge small acts of kindness each and every day. To help bridge that gap, Messages4U is offering sets of cards specifically designed to deliver much needed positive vibes into our communities. 

 “This new line of cards is meant to help those who may have difficulty expressing themselves,” said Rebecca Mullin, founder of Messages4U.  “They provide little reminders that you are rooting for the people that are making a difference in the world.  It is time that people know they really matter.”

The collection, which retails for $12.95 a deck is available in four themes, including: Messages for Children, Messages to Inspire, Messages of Love and Messages for Friends.

Each deck has 51 cards, each with a unique message.  There are a variety of inspiring pictures to compliment each message.  Best of all, each cared can be personalized, providing additional space for a special note.

Conveniently sized and portable, they can be easily taken with you to hand out to someone in a moment’s notice. Whether it be in your child’s lunchbox, in a traveler’s suitcase, at a restaurant or even at a retail store delivering exceptional service.

To learn more about Messages4U, log on to: www.messages4u.ca

My Take on the Cards

These cards were quite inspirational. I was quite impressed with the quality of the cards and the messages that they held. Resembling a deck of cards, these messages could easily be placed in lunches or other inconspicuous spots to say something to your child or someone special, reminding them of their worth and importance. These cards take the work out of remembering to recognize people in your life. Simply take out the card and share it with your loved one, it is that easy!


All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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Book Review - On the Wings of Self-Esteem

About the Book

We begin life as curious, creative and hopeful creatures.  We see the world around us as a place filled with wonder and opportunity.  But many of us grew up with a troubled childhood set in a society that taught us to fear, hate and harm ourselves. After starting out as butterflies we were forced by life’s hardships to become caterpillars.  With this “reverse metamorphosis,” our positive, soaring souls became buried under layers of negativity. 

Dr. Louise Hart has written a powerful book to get metamorphosis going in the right direction again, and recover one’s self-esteem.

Self-esteem—or the lack thereof—dictates how we manage our lives.  It is essential for mental health, well-being, and healthy families.  This book will help you uncover your wonderful true nature that has been there all along. 

Improving one’s self-esteem is the single most important thing a person can do to develop the inner strength needed to resist pressures to use drugs or drink excessively.  It can give one the courage to make good lifestyle decisions, set boundaries, lose weight, stop smoking and even find a job.

“Recovering self-esteem is a process,” she says. “As we grow older, we develop so many layers of defenses that we end up wrapped in a cocoon.  The three stages that help us to turn back into a butterfly are:  Reaching In, Reaching Out, and then Reaching High.”

From the moment you begin to direct your own life, your days as a caterpillar are numbered. “First we learn to listen to ourselves, accept ourselves, set personal boundaries and formulate goals.  Once we emerge from our former cocoon, then we are ready to approach the world anew.”

Her book explains how recovering self-esteem is a journey in discovering the remnants of one’s self-worth and weaving them into wings. It is founded on finding compassion for oneself and affirming that you have always been okay—even when you felt like a lowly plodding caterpillar.  It involves understanding what happened to you, healing old wounds, and moving to a better place.

Loosening the grip of the past, you start spinning your cocoon and growing within it.  The topics, skills, and exercises serve as stepping stones to discovering and recovering self-esteem, and becoming a butterfly, finding new power, and preparing to return to one’s community to participate and build a new life. 

The final step of transformation involves emerging from your cocoon, spreading your wings, and living your life in a whole new way.

“Transformation introduces infinite possibilities for joy, adventure, love, and delight which bring lightness and continual renewal to the soul.  Life itself becomes its own reward.” 

About the Author

Dr. Louise Hart, 73, is the author of two highly regarded books, The Winning Family:  Increasing Self-Esteem in Your Children and Yourself and On the Wings of Self Esteem.  With an Ed.D. in the field of Community Psychology, she is a thought leader in positive parenting.  Dr. Hart has spoken at over 400 conferences, hospitals, schools, communities and army installations across America and abroad.   She is also publisher of two international bestselling children’s books written by Dr. Pat Palmer—Liking Myself, and The Mouse, the Monster and Me.  Her daughter, Kristen Caven, is co-author of On the Wings of Self-Esteem and works in the prevention-based field

My Take on the Book
Self-esteem is so fragile! We are dealing with issues surrounding this with our oldest daughter and she is only 6. With all of this in mind this book was a welcome addition to our home. The book itself was very practical and held some great ideas and tips on how to improve poor self-esteem and help people feel better about themselves.

Many of the things that were suggested made perfect sense and were things that made me think"of course" , and in saying this I was impressed with the amount of things that were so easy to integrate into practice! I enjoyed the simple exercises and though many were geared toward older people, I even augmented them to work with my eldest as well and I think they are working!


I think all of us at one time or another have dealt with issues regarding low self esteem, and this book puts it all into perspective. Thus, I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

   

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