I'm back, and I keep wanting to find the time to blog about my tour, but no time! Soon, maybe this weekend. In the meantime, check out this short film from Dove's campaign for real beauty. It's about 60 seconds long. Wait for the page to load then click "play film." I liked it. This ad about little girls is also a winner. Girls are so awesome.
And let me just say, Minnesota, that your honeycrisp apples are the BEST!
Can't wait for your travel blog on your trip. :)
Posted by: Anne Marie | October 20, 2006 at 03:54 PM
I watched both of the videos and read some of the study. I thought about how sad it is that so many amazing people have such low self-esteem. And then I visited the Little Red forum and posted a comment in which I said that I'm not pretty... I'm glad Dove is making an effort to change our perspective of beauty. I'm glad you care. Girls are awesome. I'd like to add, so are moms (though, I guess they're girls too. Aren't they?).
Posted by: I'm not always sure | October 20, 2006 at 04:00 PM
I think that is sooo sad!!! Because everyone has there own beuaty! Media has ruined what beauty really means!!
honeycrisp apples sound great righ about know!!!mmmmmm.....
Posted by: marki | October 20, 2006 at 04:35 PM
I loved the Dove ads! It reminds me of a program we have at our school called Challenge Day. It's an amazing experience that is held at schools across the US and its message to everyone is "Be the change and be yourself". Be the change, as in, be the change you wish to see in the world. The representative of C.D. asked, "What gives us the right to judge other people's bodies?" It's so true.
Posted by: Lauren B | October 20, 2006 at 06:51 PM
And you are awesome for writing them the way you do.
Posted by: Carson | October 20, 2006 at 07:03 PM
My family LOVES honeycrisp apples.
Posted by: Demi | October 20, 2006 at 08:57 PM
How many of us think of ourselves as the before picture and even joke about it? My youngest daughter said she liked the commercials-they made her feel happy and she thinks she is pretty. Accepting ourselves and letting go of unrealistic expectations can enable us to feel more satisfaction and happiness in life.
Posted by: Jean | October 20, 2006 at 09:06 PM
It is okay to color my hair, though, right?
It's done in the name of sassiness, after all.
Posted by: Laura | October 20, 2006 at 09:40 PM
I think that dove is awesome for doing that. I myself have loads of problems with body issues, but the bottom line is- EVERYONE HAS INSECURITIES JUST LIKE THAT NEXT PERSON. GET OVER IT ALREADY!!! At least that's how I think of it.
Posted by: Mads | October 21, 2006 at 07:06 AM
Wow... that first dove short fil, was amazing... how they changed that woman's appearance like that! And the second one was cute. This is an important issue indeed. :)
Posted by: Lauren A. | October 21, 2006 at 09:08 AM
OOps. I meant "short film". Sorry about that.
Posted by: Lauren A. | October 21, 2006 at 09:09 AM
Honeycrisp apples rock! Cruncy texture with a slightly sweet, slightly tart taste. Perfection!
Posted by: Jonathan | October 21, 2006 at 10:26 AM
I really liked the first one - that was really good to see in fast motion - not just before/after. Honeycrisp are the greatest!
Posted by: Jenna | October 21, 2006 at 01:21 PM
I felt like crying after wathcing them and showing them to my mom--it made me feel ten times better about myself. EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL! AND THAT'S WONDERFUL!
Posted by: hwalk | October 21, 2006 at 02:31 PM
*dabs at tears* Awwww. I was feeling so down on myself ten minutes ago!
Posted by: ~Holly~ | October 21, 2006 at 02:39 PM
The videos were okay. All girls are beautiful and all guys are handsome.There is no logical argument against that. But never mind. Does it matter how you look, in sooth? In novels, including GOOSE GIRL, the most "pretty" people have the ugliest personae, e. g. Selia.
About the previous post-Americans are equal, and sometimes morally inferior, to the rest of the world. They cry like us, they laugh like us, they smile like us, they get angry like us, they need love and care, just like the rest of us. Are not those the things that should unite us as a species?
About those apples-If you really want a Minnesota apple, get a Haralson apple. They were developed at the University of Minnesota. The best thing to eat in Minnesota, however, is probably the stuff sold at the Minnesota State Fair. This takes place in mid-August. Major gastronomic highlights include, but are not limited to: cheese curds, lingenberry leftse(jelly wrapped in delicate pastry, kinda like a really nitpicky crepe) deep-fried twinkies, grilled walleye, and saltwater taffy. Where the saltwater comes from in a near landlocked state I have no idea. Sold in Boston, Massacheusetts too. There is also a winter carnival in St. Paul, the capital. I have told y'all for the past 2-3 entries about the highlights of the Wild Rumpus. Not going through a rehash here. Look it up. Use tools like normal hominids.
Posted by: Anon | October 21, 2006 at 07:35 PM
I've seen that! Isn't that so cool? It really changed my perspective on magazine images.
I went to a Meet the Author night at a library and met Tamora Pierce! During the book signing, when it was my turn, I asked her if she had read your books, and she said yes, she loved them and she though River Secrets was great! Of course, then I felt dumb and said that I loved her books too and by then it was someone else's turn, so I hope I didn't insult her.
Posted by: Juliet | October 22, 2006 at 07:22 AM
thought*
Posted by: Juliet | October 22, 2006 at 07:23 AM
Tamora Pierce is indeed a great author. She is the founder of www.sheroescentral.com , a website for female heroes. Shannon put this on her acknowledgements for RIVER SECRETS. This is how I know of its existence.
Posted by: Anon | October 22, 2006 at 08:38 AM
Tamora Pierce...lucky you! I'm jealous. I'm still dreaming of meeting Shannon Hale. Maybe someday...
Posted by: ~Holly~ | October 22, 2006 at 09:54 AM
Mmmmmmm.... honey crisp apples are good! They have gotten SO famous this year; now everyone wants them. Honey crisps ARE delicious, but I prefer galas and empires myself. Very picky about apples, I am. If someone offers me one, the first thing I say is "what kind?". They have no idea. Then they give me this weird stare like I'm the only girl in the world who cares about the kind of apple she eats. Well, maybe I am, but who cares? Yay, apples!
Posted by: MAYday | October 22, 2006 at 10:28 AM
Oh, and welcome back home, Shannon! Bet Max is happy to have you there!
Posted by: MAYday | October 22, 2006 at 10:30 AM
Yum, apples. I just had a Granny Smith...not my favorite, though. I can't wait to get to Apple Hill Farm, the local apple orchard. I just love picking apples. Plus, their cider is the best.
Posted by: ~Holly~ | October 22, 2006 at 11:18 AM
MAYday you are not alone, I have to get my own special apples separate from the rest of my family because they have to be a certain texture and taste, I hate it when they aren't crunchy enough, or if they make me pucker when I bite in....OCAD Obsessive Compulsive Apple Disorder! Right here!
Posted by: Taylor | October 22, 2006 at 03:08 PM
I love honey crisp apples! every year i go apple picking but they never have honey crisp. well i think ill have an apple right now anyway, no matter what kind. lol!
Posted by: Veronica | October 22, 2006 at 03:27 PM
I don't have OCAD, I have OCCD (Obsessive Compulsive Coffee Disorder) and MADD (Music Attention Deficit Disorder). Meaning I have to have my coffee served just right, and I can't listen to the same song twice.
Posted by: ~Holly~ | October 22, 2006 at 05:25 PM
That second ad is so great! I wish there were more films like that!
I've never had a honey crisp apple. Pretty much the only apple I'll eat right now is Pink Lady, but of course it's just my luck that all the stores around here stopped selling them...
Posted by: dta | October 22, 2006 at 06:36 PM
Thank you for posting those.
Posted by: Biel | October 22, 2006 at 07:55 PM
Juliet, I am so jealous you got to meet Tamora Pierce! Lucky, lucky girl.
On the subject of apples, I love them! Pink Ladys (or would it be Pink Ladies) are my favorite, as long as they aren't too tart. My friends and I just made fondue and dipped Gala apples in chocolate. (We also had pineapple and angel food cake.)
Can't wait for the travel blog, Shannon!
Posted by: Gretchen | October 22, 2006 at 09:44 PM
Are honeycrisp apples just a type of apple, or a special way of serving them? I'm imagining something like a baked apple...
Posted by: HOLLY | October 23, 2006 at 11:39 AM
It reminds me of a cereal... :o)
Posted by: Mads | October 23, 2006 at 11:51 AM
HOLLY-Honeycrisp apples are a type of apple, just like Red Delicious Apples or Empire Apples. Or Granny Smiths.
Posted by: Anon | October 23, 2006 at 12:12 PM
I'm happy that she likes the same books I do (Shannon's!!!), but I just wish I had more time to talk to her about her books. It's not every day you get to meet a real, live, breathing author.
She was very cool! I think she's on a tour right now, so check your local libraries to see if maybe you can come meet her too!
Posted by: Juliet | October 23, 2006 at 12:58 PM
Huh, Pink Ladies. Never heard of them. I bet they're good, though! Are the apples really pink or does the name have nothing to do with the apple?
Taylor - I love that term, OCAD! Describes me perfectly.
Posted by: MAYday | October 23, 2006 at 03:26 PM
MAYday - Pink Ladies are kind of pink, I guess. I found a website about Pink Lady apples, and it said they were named for their color.
Posted by: dta | October 23, 2006 at 04:31 PM
Your right, dta, there is an ENTIRE website about pink lady apples. It's kinda funny to think that someone would set up a site just for that! They must be really OCAD for sure (and that's not a bad thing)!
oh, and the website is http://pinkladyapples.co.uk
Posted by: MAYday | October 23, 2006 at 04:46 PM
Awesome apple site! I like pink lady apples also. I feel so bad for you Pink Lady-deprived individuals. Absolutely delicous. Did you guys get to eat the Haralson apples? Those are apples from the University of Minnesota. Purely Minnesotan. Also, if you come at the beginnning of the Minnesota State Fair, I'll be there. I am always there at that time of year to visit my buddies and of course go to the fair. I live in Minnesota no longer, sadly enough. I go there only once a year. However, sometimes I go for other reasons, such as a bat mitzvah(For the Gentiles, that is a Jewish ceremony where a kid approximately 13 years old is accepted into the synagouge, the Jewish place of worship, and reads from the Torah, or first five books of the Bible, for the first time before the congregation). I have lots of Jewish buddies.
Posted by: Anon | October 23, 2006 at 09:03 PM
Shannon,
I just have to tell you, that I think you and I might share a brain!
I've been swamped as of late with my college classes and haven't checked in on the blog for a week or so, but I did find time to share the "Dove campaign for real beauty", with my daughter and here I find you have been plugging it, as well.
In fact the only reason I'm here now, is that one of my classes is a children's lit class and I recently had to do some exploritory writing on "bianary opposition" in literature and the whole thing ended up being about your books and how well you use this as a tool to create ambivilence and complex stories. This led to a group assignment to find binary opposition in some of Grimms' less popular fairly tales...do I need to finish? I came here looking for ideas on less popular fairly tales and binary oppostion and thought I'd pop in and see what you've had to say as of late and it's like you were reading my mind!
As if all of that isn't coincidental enough, "Possession" is one of my all time favorite books and it's on your recommended reading list. I meet so few people who have even heard of the book and when I reccommend it, I'm often told that they just couldn't get through it.
Alright, maybe not so wierd for you, but for me...it's kind of wierd. I just find more and more to love about you...forget wierd let's call it "serendipity", shall we!
Ramble over! I just want you to know how much I respect and adore you!
Posted by: Julie | October 24, 2006 at 09:46 PM
those videos were awesome! They made me feel happy. I meet you, Shannon, yesterday at the library.
justi :>
Posted by: justina | October 29, 2006 at 03:23 PM
i thought those were so cool! i emailed it out to all my friends and it totally went along about what we were learning in church. we wathced it today in our lesson. i think that it is just totally awesome and should really be spread out into the world!
Posted by: Kaitlyn Clifford | October 29, 2006 at 05:44 PM