USA Today just ran an article called Cosmetic Surgeries: What Children Will Do to Look Normal that talks about the growing trend of teenagers getting plastic surgery to improve their appearance.

In 2008, more than 160,000 children under 18 years old had cosmetic surgery, and I’m not just talking about those who had true physical abnormalities like cleft palates or the occasional nose job. Cosmetic surgeries on teens today include everything from breast implants and liposuction on ankles and calves to highly controversial procedures like what’s known as “Asian eye” surgery to widen the appearance of eyes in people of Asian descent.

The article quotes plastic surgeon Gerald Pitman, who says, “The kids I see, their desire is almost uniformly to be normal, non-deviant. Kids don’t want to stand out in a negative way.”

Is it just me or is this growing trend of teens wanting to look “uniformly normal” make Scott Westerfield’s Uglies hit a little too close to home?

While I embrace the idea that we can all create the life and reality we want, the truth is, there is nothing “real” about plastic surgery. When People Magazine’s “Most Beautiful People” issue is full of people who became beautiful under the knife, one has to wonder where these standards of beauty are coming from in the first place?

My biggest concern with the fact that increasing numbers of teens are going down the plastic surgery route is the fact that once you make the choice to start altering your body, you can’t go back. Here’s a quote from the article from one teen who regretted her decision to have breast implants at such a young age:

Heather Locke says being a flat-chested cheerleader from Dallas was stressful at the time, so at 17, with her mother’s blessing, she had her breasts augmented — from a 34A to a 34D bra size. “Now, looking back, I realize boobs aren’t that big of a deal,” says Locke, 23, “At that point in time, I thought that is what boys found very attractive, but now I know guys could care less. I am not unhappy, but I should have waited until I was older.”

Is it true that someone with a large nose might find themselves having more self-confidence after they’ve had a nose job? Yes. But this fact points to a bigger problem of our self-esteem being rooted in physical attributes instead of the things that make us truly unique and wonderful, like our values, our passions, our talents, our visions, and our personalities.

For more on this controversial topic, read the full article here. And to read about one girl’s struggle to find beauty in herself despite her disfiguring port wine stain birthmark, read Justina Chen Headley’s fantastic novel, North of Beautiful.

I’m a self-professed volunteer addict, so I was excited to hear that MTV has just joined forces with Huffington Post, Google, Craigslist, YouTube, FanFeedr, and UCLA to create a search engine that will allow people to search for volunteer opportunities to participate in.

The initiative, called All For Good, came about as a result of President Obama’s call for Americans to find ways to do good and volunteer for the organization of their choice.

For its part, MTV just launched Serve.MTV.com, a site that brings volunteer opportunities directly to young people. The network is airing a series of on-air PSAs in the hopes of getting viewers to the site and encouraging them to find a way to give back to the community and lend their time to make a difference. MTV will also be creating a series of viral Web videos, featuring celebrities and artists sharing their experiences in volunteerism and discussing the benefits of integrating civil service into their lifestyle.

I love it!

Let me know if you use the site to pinpoint a volunteer opportunity near you!

I just got back from a three-week long “staycation” in New York City, where I visited with friends, house-sat, schlepped my four-year-old all over the city (and on every possible mode of transportation), connected with amazing collaborators, and soaked in the energy and inspiring vibe of what I consider to be the most awesome city around.

I was most excited to meet Michael Del Rosario, editor extraordinaire at Simon Pulse, and the person I’m working with on my forthcoming Romantic Comedy, Language of Love. This is my first time writing fiction - I’m so excited about the challenge and couldn’t be happier than to be working with my favorite publishers and such a great editor in Michael. My first draft is due August 1, so I’ll be cranking over the next few weeks.

While it’s great to be home and in my “space” and back with my husband and dog (who is happily sleeping under my desk as I type this), my trip reminded me of the importance of reconnecting, stretching yourself outside your comfort zone, and finding inspiration in new and out-of-the-box ways.

Here are a few pics from my trip, including a shot of Michael and I at our lunch; my son, Asher, and I checking out the dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History; and a glimpse of the new (and strange) Times Square which now features lawn furniture strewn across Broadway (go figure…).

I just read an article online about a new camp in Montreal for 10-14 year old girls. This camp isn’t teaching girls how to be better soccer players or musicians, or even give girls a chance to take important and safe risks so they can gain confidence and create a strong self-esteem foundation.

Rather, Makeover Camp at the Lambda School of Music and Fine Arts is all about teaching young girls social refinement and how to be “ladies.” As in, “improve their posture, voice, table manners, conversation skills, wardrobe choices, makeup application, hostessing skills and music appreciation.” According to the camp’s website, their mission is “instilling confidence, social etiquette and grace in an atmosphere of fun and friendship.”

From the article:

“We see a lot of young ladies who can benefit from a makeover program,” said Angela Chan, director of Lambda and co-creator of the camp. “They need to develop their presence.” Marc McCreavy, an industrial designer and interior decorator, will teach the girls how to host events and decorate a table. “It’s important to learn about appropriate topics of conversation and appropriate attire,” he said.

Seriously? No wonder critics are dubbing Makeover Camp “Wife Camp.” I mean, did we just flash back to 1950?

While the creators of the camp insist their purpose is to instill confidence in young girls by teaching them how to be “appropriate,” this is a serious disconnect for me. To even teach young girls that there are certain ways to “be” and “act” seems like it would make girls feel less confident in simply being their imperfect, creative, wonderful selves.

If we really want to set girls up for success, why not focus on teaching them how to follow their passions, speak their minds, and know they are perfect just as they are? Now that’s one camp I would have liked to attend when I was younger…

An article in this morning’s New York Times highlights a recent research project which proved what women playwrights have always known: women playwrights have a tougher time getting their work staged and acted than men do.

But the research study also found a few things that surprised everyone, including the fact that it is women artistic directors and literary managers who are often the ones to blame for this reality. Researchers came to this conclusion after sending identical scripts to artistic directors and literary managers around the country. One half of the identical scripts had the name of a man on it as the writer, while the other half had the name of a woman. Overall, the same script with a woman’s name on it received significantly worse ratings than those with a man’s name on it when it was being rated by a woman artistic director/manager. Male artistic directors/managers rated the manuscripts the exact same.

So what’s at the root of this discrimination? There’s no way to know for sure, but the primary researcher, Emily Glassberg Sands, suggests that perhaps artistic directors who are women possess a greater awareness of the barriers female playwrights face, and therefore perceived their plays differently.

To add yet another layer to this surprising data is the fact that female-authored plays on stage during the research period actually made more money than shows written by men, selling 16% more tickets. Yet, better ticket sales didn’t mean that producers kept the shows running any longer than less profitable shows written by men, something that Emily pointed out as clear discrimination.

While I find the results of this study dismal to say the least, the fact that women artistic directors and literary managers so clearly discriminated against women playwrights without considering the merits of the work itself is, to me, the biggest disappointment. When institutionalized gender discrimination is at play, how are women ever going to truly gain equality in career opportunities and pay?

What’s your take on this study?

The Chris Brown and Rihanna courtroom drama ended today when Chris Brown plead guilty to one count of felony assault stemming from his attack on Rihanna last February. Though he’ll officially be a convicted felon, Chris Brown’s plea guarantees he won’t be serving jail time anytime soon. Instead, he’ll be on probation for up to five years, have to serve six months of community service, and will be forced to stay 50 yards away from Rihanna (except at industry events, where he’ll have a 10 yard minimum).

While I’m not surprised with the essential slap on the wrist Chris Brown received, I am disappointed that the violent attack of a woman (celebrity or not) and consequent threat of death, is treated so lightly. The statistics clearly show that if a man hits a woman once, chances are he’s going to do it again. And seriously … isn’t this light punishment sending the message that it’s okay to physically abuse another person?

Unfortunately, teen dating violence is one issue that’s not going away anytime soon. According to a new study by Do Something, 50% of teens are personally affected by the issue of teen dating violence.

What is your reaction to the outcome of Chris Brown’s trial? Did the punishment fit the crime?

Check out this public service announcement created by Do Something to bring the issue of teen dating violence to light. The events in this video are loosely based on the report police took from Rihanna on that fateful night.

I just watched a sneak peek of the new reality show on Bravo, NYC Prep, which premieres tomorrow night. Now, admittedly, I’m a reality show junkie. I love me some So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol, Project Runway, and yes, even The Hills and The Bachelor/Bachelorette. But I have a problem with NYC Prep.

The reality show follows the lives of a group of real NYC prep school students…kind of like Gossip Girl on steriods. Is there drama? Yes. Backstabbing? Yes. Drinking? Drugs? Casual sex? Yes, yes, and yes. Does this make for good entertainment? Of course it does.

But here’s my problem. The “stars” of this show are teenagers. Teenagers who are living out their lives, and experiencing their every high, and every inevitable low, on TV for the whole world to see. I shudder to think that the things I did in high school would ever be available for public consumption. While I had my moments of thoughtfulness and maturity, I also was plenty full of stupidity, selfishness, and ridiculousness. And yes, the teens starring in NYC Prep might believe they are all-knowing, mature, and aware of the possible effect their reality show stardom may have on their future, but seriously, the popularity of this show will ultimately be at their expense.

Why not a reality series about teens changing the world or being super athletes or overcoming difficult challenges? Can’t TV do better than another show that takes the most sensational aspects of teenhood and serves it up like a fast food combo meal?

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My apologies for the irregularity of posts and lack of images on my site in the past few weeks…I’ve been temporarily working out of New York and my Internet access has been spotty. I’m back in Seattle next week and will return to my regular Monday through Friday posts, complete with pictures, at that time!

A new study from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) found that only 10% of girls thought majoring in computer science was a good idea versus 45% of boys. The study also found boys were more comfortable than girls doing things like learning a new software program, setting up a wireless network or even editing music or video on a computer.

The fact that fewer girls are pursuing careers in math, science, and technology isn’t news, but I still found these statistics surprising. So what is it about girls and computers that makes girls less likely to focus on technology in their learning? Is it lack of interest? Fear over being pegged a “nerd?”

Maybe.

The study found that girls don’t think computers are as “cool” as boys. They think of words like “boring,” “hard,” and “nerd” as being associated with computers, versus words like “design,” “games,” and “video” for boys.

“As long as teenagers believe that computer science is boring, difficult, anti-social, or doesn’t have much impact on solving the world’s problems, they’re unlikely to choose it for their future,” the study says.

The problem here is that more and more careers are going to be technology focused as we move into the future, and these shocking statistics are going to translate into a serious and growing gap in the opportunities women and men have in their careers down the road.

And I have to question whether or not girls really do think computers are boring and hard, or they’re just concerned about the way they are perceived by others, especially boys.

When I interviewed Kelly McCarthy, a female video game designer, for my book In Their Shoes, she explained that she was nervous about majoring in computer science mainly because there were so few women doing it at the time.

What are your thoughts? Do you like learning about technology or avoid it like the plague? Do you label other students who are into technology as computer nerds? And finally, what do you think is the way to get more girls interested in math, science, and technology careers?

As you know, I’m working on a series of teen-authored memoirs called Louder Than Words for HCI Books. So I was intrigued to read about SMITHTeens, a writing project featuring six-word memoirs written by teens.

That’s right. Your life story in six little words.

According to the website, SMITH is both a place for professional and never-before-published writers, artists, and photographers, bound together by a passion for storytelling.

Check out these six-word memoirs posted on the SMITHTeens website:

• I haven’t learned from my past. - by Kaida
• Maybe, hopefully, tomorrow will be different. - by Invisible Sunset
• My dad won’t be at graduation. by Still Small, Still Searching

I love the idea of these little memoirs. When you’ve got only six words to tell your story, you’ve got to make every one count. Not an easy task, to say the least. Which makes me wonder what my six words would be?

Keeping my eye on the goal. Nah. Too boring and predictable. Maybe: Living every day in the moment. Yeah, I like the sound of that. That’s my goal, anyway… I hope someday that really is my life story!

So how about you? What would your six little words be?

Navigating high school and making it all the way to graduation is a hard enough task even in the best of circumstances. That’s why I found the story of Candide Uwizeyimana so incredible and inspiring.

When Candide arrived in the U.S. from Africa as a refugee two years ago, she didn’t speak a word of English. And that wasn’t the only hurdle she had to overcome. Candide was a survivor of one of worst genocides in recent history, the mid-1990s genocide in the central African country of Rwanda. She was only five when she and her family fled the violence on foot in 1993, eventually being permanently separated from her parents and siblings. At times along her journey, she hoped for death (and came close to it more than once), thinking it must be better than the reality she was living.

She eventually ended up in a refugee camp in south Congo where she was moved into a camp orphanage. From there, she was fortunate enough to meet a family who took her in as one of their own and sent her to school. She was only nine years old. By the time she was in high school, her adopted family, trying to give her the best future they could, encouraged her to apply for refugee status with the United Nations so she could go to a developed country like the U.S. or Canada and be resettled.

And that’s how she ended up in Seattle shortly thereafter. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Congratulations to Candide on this incredible accomplishment. You are an inspiration to us all!

To read more about Candide’s amazing story, click here. To learn more about the Rwandan genocide, check out the movie Hotel Rwanda, or read the powerful book We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch.