LilSugar

Aborigines Incensed Over Didgeridoo "Dare" in Book for Girls

CitizenSugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:00:56 PDT

The Australian answer to the hit book, The Daring Book for Girls is striking the wrong note with Aborigines. The book teaches girls how to play the didgeridoo - despite the fact that Aboriginal culture views the instrument as strictly boys only and not to be played by girls.

The publisher says it wasn't aware of the taboo and has apologized for the faux pas saying there was a "divergence of opinion" on the matter. The hollowed out instrument with the quintessentially Crocodile Dundee-esque sound (just try to imagine that tone without thinking of the movie) is viewed by Aborigines as a male ceremonial instrument. Not only are women forbidden from playing it, but doing so could cause grave consequences, even infertility.

The Daring Book has a less controversial profile than it may seem - its mission: "Whether you’re a girly-girl, an athlete, a brainiac, or a little bit of everything, The Daring Book for Girls gets you ready for anything - from pitching a tent and building a campfire; to running a lemonade stand and learning about female heroines in history; and even to tying a hitch knot and organizing your own spy team. The Daring Book for Girls is the can-do, how-to manual for enthusiastic, unfettered adventure, cheering girls on to be curious and brave-and above all, to have fun."

Source

Texts and Tunes: Dangerous and Daring

babysugar — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:00:41 PST

Give your kids these books that will teach them all sorts of old tricks and get them off the couch. Boys can dive into Dangerous Book For Boys ($15) and girls can bury themselves in the Daring Book For Girls ($15).

The Dangerous Book For Boys by Conn and Hal Igguiden teaches young rascals how to tie knots, make paper airplanes, fish, craft bows and arrows out of front-yard tools, build a tree house, act out coin tricks, and assemble go-carts.

The Daring Book For Girls by Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz counsels girls on public speaking, softball rules, origami fortunetellers, and how to make a handlebar scooters. It also talks about tying a sari, Chinese jump rope, and building a campfire.

Kids won't believe how much fun can come from these two texts. And, the activities provide bonding time for parents and children.

Hysteria Director Tanya Wexler Talks Vibrators, Faking It, and Duck Sex

Tara Block — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:00:15 PDT

Don't be shy . . . It's time to talk sex toys! And Hysteria director Tanya Wexler is writing us a prescription for pleasure. Tanya's film - what she calls "the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to" - is in limited release and stars Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Rupert Everett. When working on a romantic comedy that centers around the invention of the vibrator, you end up with some entertaining and embarrassing situations along the way, and lucky for us, Tanya spilled all the hilariously dirty details. From teaming up with the film's partner Jimmyjane for a drive-by vibrator drop-off to a certain female Oscar-winner to trying unsuccessfully to get ducks to shag on command, Tanya was bursting with great stories from working on this very unconventional film. And while Tanya isn't ashamed to discuss the sexy subject matter of her latest film with us, the mother of four and her partner of 21 years did have a tricky challenge telling her preteen kids what her movie was about. (She eventually gave them the script and let them figure it out themselves!) Check out our interview with the fun-loving director now, and we dare you not to have a girl crush on her by the end!

TrèsSugar: What were some of the challenges to getting a movie made about vibrators?
Tanya Wexler: Getting the script right was tricky because if you just make a movie about the invention of the vibrator, it's actually a really short movie: you go "bzz" and it's done. And we had a kind of light romantic comedy. I say I made the vibrator movie you can bring your mom to. But some people wanted it to be raunchy or some people wanted it to be more serious and about feminism. People project a lot onto this movie of what they want, because there isn't a lot out there about vibrators and women's pleasure, and we still don't really deal with that topic very well, or we're overly antsy around it. And as a result, people have a lot of ideas of what the movie could and should be, and you can't please everyone. [laughs]

TS: Ha, good one.
TW: It's nonstop!

TS: Do you find sex toys inherently funny or something to be seriously celebrated?
TW: Yes!

TS: Both?
TW: Yes! Yes. I think they make me laugh, and I think that the inner kind of Beavis and Butt-head in all of us goes "[laugh]." You know, that inner 13-year-old, like, "Hahaha vibrator . . . " and yet they're awesome and fun.

TS: What shocked you the most when researching the movie?
TW: That ducks are the rapists of the bird world, and you'll see when you see the movie, because there's a little bit of questionable duck behavior - or awesome duck behavior - in the movie. It's totally a sidebar, but you cannot make ducks shag on command. I'm just saying.

TS: What about the whole history of hysteria being a medical condition?
TW: When I first heard the idea, I was like, "What do you mean it was invented in Victorian times?" I knew about hysteria, but the idea that the treatment was manual [British accent] massage deparaxism - which is what they called it - and, of course, the denial. The most shocking thing is the denial, that they didn't think it was sexual.

TS: Do you think they were really in denial?
TW: No, I don't think that some people were. My college roommate was with her high school boyfriend for two years and she had never had an orgasm. I think there's all kinds of denial, especially with women's sexuality. So the fact that there are young women today who haven't had an orgasm, whether self-induced - which is insane - or with a partner, then why wouldn't we think back then that women wouldn't know what orgasms were?

They would get a massage, and the doctor's saying, "Without a penis, this isn't sex, because sex is about procreation," so what is this? The best physical therapy you've ever had. So once you don't think of it as something other than what the doctor's supposed to do to cure your uncontrollable crying or uncontrollable laughter or whatever, then it's just an awesome muscle spasm. If you don't think women have their own inherent sexuality, then you're not thinking about it like that.

Keep reading for Tanya's thoughts on Fifty Shades and more!

Something Borrowed: More Blue Than New

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 06 May 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Something Borrowed presents the kinds of conundrums and moral dilemmas that we've seen on screen a million times before: what do you do when you have the hots for someone who doesn't want you in return? Or what if he does return your feelings, but he's already spoken for? These issues may exist beyond teenage years, but Something Borrowed is so fluffy that the film is more like an extra long episode of Gossip Girl than a realistic portrayal of love and friendship.

At the epicenter of the tangled web is mousy lawyer Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin), who's spent her life loyally playing second fiddle to her outgoing, obnoxious-but-hot-so-she's-forgiven best friend Darcy (Kate Hudson). Rachel's self-esteem is at an all-time low on her 30th birthday, and after a few drinks she inadvertently admits to Darcy's fiancé Dex (Colin Egglesfield) that she had a crush on him during their law school days together. They end up in the sack, thus inciting a Summer of longing glances across the room, weekend rendezvous, and a whole lot of secret keeping. Though there are plenty of jokes along the way, ultimately there's no way to make light of the fact that we're supposed to be rooting for a relationship dripping with betrayal.

To see why Something Borrowed falls flat, just keep reading.

Rihanna Talks Fashion, Fitness, and Finding Love Again in Vogue

Allie Merriam — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 08:28:47 PDT

Rihanna struck a gorgeous pose for the cover of April's Vogue, which is available on newsstands March 22. She smiled for an accompanying shoot from photographer Annie Leibovitz - also make sure to check out the magazine's look back at Rihanna's red-carpet evolution. The pop star opened up about her upcoming movie Battleship, which she shot last Summer in Hawaii, as well as about her famous fashion sense. Despite recent rumors linking her to Colin Farrell and their apparent date night yesterday at LA's Giorgio Baldi, Rihanna also opened up about how hard it's been finding love since her much-publicized split from Chris Brown. She said:

On getting into shape for Battleship: "I hate going to the gym and doing it the old-fashioned way. I hate anything that's too straight forward, too routine, too familiar. I get bored really, really quickly . . . Over the holidays, and even during filming, I realized that I actually like my body, even if it's not perfect according to the book. I just feel sexy. For the first time, I don't want to get rid of the curves. I just want to tone it up. My body is comfortable, and it's not unhealthy, so I'm going to rock with it."
On her sense of style: "When I was fourteen and first started going out, I always wanted to be the opposite of everyone else. So I would go to the club in a polo T-shirt and pants and sneakers and a hat on backward, just so I would not be dressed like other girls. And I got desperate for things that weren't available in Barbados. I would cut things out of magazines. I was obsessed with creating a visual with clothing, and the way things are combined . . . [Now] It's become more about taking a risk. When I am putting looks together, I dare myself to make something work. I always look for the most interesting silhouette or something that's a little off, but I have to figure it out. I have to make it me. I think that's the thrill in fashion."
On dating again after breaking up from Chris Brown: "I just kind of shut down from that . . . I just let it go. I don't ever want to have to depend on a relationship. I think it's a really special thing to find love. It's beautiful. Nothing can match it. But I want to make sure that I find other things in life that I love besides . . . love."