Joanna Schroeder

Mattel’s brand new video featuring empowered little girls will make you cry. But will the toy industry ever change?

If we as women get to define for ourselves what beauty looks like, then the power will no longer rest with those who pad their fortunes with our self-loathing.

As I grew older, I came to rely upon dieting as a way to ease my anxiety and feel in control. I was no longer in a cycle of eating too little or body dysmorphia, but controlling my food intake made me feel less invisible in a sea of girls where I felt like I'd disappear. It was almost a form of self-medication, to know that I could go on a diet and lose a few pounds.

As moms and dads, we probably don’t talk directly about rape to kids, at least not until they’re older. But we’re still sending messages about sex and consent all the time. Because of that, we need to make sure we’re not teaching them some very dangerous lessons, even if just by accident.

This holiday film tells men it's OK to be emotional and vulnerable.

The biggest news in feminist parenting lately has been about portrayals of powerful girls and women. Mattel’s new partnership with DC Comics is a big step forward in this, creating a new set of dolls and action figures that feature the female characters in the classic DC comics stories.

I first saw shame take over my son’s face in a somewhat unexpected place: the toy aisle at Target.

I’m spelling them out here so that other parents can talk about them and other boys can see that there isn’t just one way to become a good man.

That’s the thing: I love sex.

I'm going to keep an eye on my health—but keep the scale under the bathroom vanity.