The JOON Blog

As a marketer and a mom, I was not shocked when I heard a few months ago that there are a reported 7.5 million kids ages 12 and under on Facebook.  (even though you have to be 13 to actually have an account)  Though my kids (ages 6 and 2) are way on the young end of that spectrum, my six year old (already quite fluent in technology and devices) has asked when he can have a Facebook account.  He sees mom on Facebook everyday (albeit for work, but he doesn’t make that distinction). All he knows is that it looks pretty cool and he’s quite a curious kid.  He is well-versed, for lack of a more precise term, on my iPhone; he navigates dad’s iPad quite proficiently; he can search the Internet for whatever it is he’s looking for (it helps that he can spell and read now).  Google is part of his native lexicon.  Over lunch the other day, he asked if he could go to technology camp…yep, technology camp.  So, I searched my iPhone for tech camp for 7 year olds.  And, there just happens to be one in Silicon Vally.  What have I gotten myself into?  He almost peed in his pants right there at the table he was so excited.  FYI:  I haven’t said “yes”. Oh, and I forgot to mention that just recently, my son set a password on my TV and locked me out of all shows rated MA.  Pardon my digital language, but WTF???

My point is that we can’t sit back and turn a blind eye to all of these things going on. The world is quite a different place these days and I think that our parenting has to evolve with that.  Now, should FB fight to allow young children to actually have accounts? My initial opinion is does it even matter because kids have already found their way on to Facebook without real changes in regulation.  What I would be most concerned about is FB working on their security measures.  As an adult, I can’t say that I’m thrilled with the security on FB, so I would want to know what they are going to put in place to protect children.  But, the onus certainly isn’t all on FB.  We as parents need to be even more vigilant these days about staying on top of what’s going on in our kids’ lives.  We need to re-draw the boundaries of privacy in our own homes.

Attached is a link to a recent NY Times article that inspired this post.  Take a read and let me know what you think.  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/magazine/why-facebook-is-after-your-kids.html?_r=1

Hey Moms!  If you don’t already know, we launched a site www.JOONGirl.com just for all your girls!  The wonderful thing about the site is that the content (well, at least 95% of it) is from girls between the ages of 7 – 13.  We hire interns to work with us and they do a fantastic job of writing, taking pics and even working on product and packaging with our team!

For the next week or so, we’re talking to girls about Self-Esteem and we’ve had girls from all over the country write in on the topic.  We’ve been posting their e-mails on the site (check out the Healthy Beauty section) and we absolutely love and appreciate what they’ve been writing.  It’s a great way for us to really get to know this group of girls and what their lives are like.  And, most of all, we are so pleased to be able to give them the opportunity to express themselves and have a voice about things that matter to them.

Check out the site and let us know what you think!

I just had to blog about this!  The other day, I had a meeting in Miami and remembered that there was a new Fresh Market in the area where I was.  I hadn’t been to a Fresh Market in about a decade because there isn’t one near me.  (I don’t like driving very much.  In fact, I’m not going to be upset when someone decides to take away my license.  The time couldn’t come sooner!)  Back to my Fresh Market story.

I never thought of Fresh Market as a place to do my regular grocery shopping.  It was a place I’d go to shop for a special dinner or get some gourmet yummy treats.  My visit this time was no different.  I milled around without a cart or basket.  (They probably thought I was some crazy woman sneaking in for samples and free coffee.)  I came across a display with all kinds of what seemed to be dried veggies.  Turns out they were all kinds of veggie “chips”.  I saw a huge box of okra chips.  OMG…okra!  My favorite.  I read the ingredients and they didn’t seem all that bad for you, so I bought a huge box that set me back about $10.  Whatever…a yummy decadent treat, right?

I got home and opened the box and literally had to stop myself from devouring all of them in one sitting.  I allowed myself 4 “chips”.  I realized these couldn’t be much better for me than potato chips.  Seriously.

I’m a huge proponent of  leading a healthy lifestyle – as if you didn’t know already!  My okra chips would probably be on a “not” list somewhere, but (and here comes my moderation spiel) I believe that we need to indulge ourselves sometimes.  There’s nothing wrong with a few okra chips, just as there’s nothing wrong with potato chips or chocolate.  It’s all about moderation and making sure that we’re aware of what we’re eating.  That we’re balancing the good with the bad.

These are lessons that I try to instill in my children.  If they ask for an ice-cream cone, I rarely say no.  But, they don’t ask everyday and they realize that it is a treat, not a given.  They don’t balk when I make steamed broccoli and carrots or my husband makes steamed yucca.  They eat it…sometimes begrudgingly, but they eat it.  And, they get super excited when we go to Kids Night at a local neighborhood restaurant and it’s basically a free for all.  Chicken fingers, fries, dessert.  (and two-for-one drinks for mom and dad)  We indulge and enjoy…

Far too young,  too much too soon, growing up too fast, too provocative, too shocking for words.

These aren’t my “too’s”…these were all found in headlines relating to 10 year old Thylane Blondeau who recently posed for a French Vogue spread dressed as, well, someone you’d expect to find in a French Vogue spread. When I first saw the images back in August all over the Interweb, I have to say that “shocked” and “appalled” were not the first words to come to mind.  I am the mother of a little one (she’s only 2, mind you) and I’m the Co-Founder of a natural skincare company that has gone against the greater advice of many to depict on our web site and in our marketing images of older, teen girls because the young girls aspire up.  I am of the strong belief of allowing little girls to be young for as long as biology will allow.

Having said that, I still did not cringe.  Your next question (if you haven’t already dismissed this post because of my lack of indignation) is probably, “why?”

Well, first of all, French Vogue is a magazine for women.  So, maybe older teens may be flipping through trying to find the latest in high end fashion, but I know that my little girl gets more of an eyeful watching mom primp for date night once a week.  Rarely do I wear make-up and high heels, but once a week, I indulge in my cute dresses, high heels and make up.  My daughter, who is a momma’s girl, watches my every move during these weekly dress up rituals. Sometimes, I indulge her and smear a little lip gloss on those lips.

I think the messenger here is key.  This 10 year old was not scantily clad.  She just had on what my husband would call “too much night time make up”.  That’s code for “babe, you put on too much blush or eye shadow…tone it down a bit, would you?”  Vogue is avant guard and artistically provocative by nature.  I like to flip through, but most of the spreads show fashion that is unwearable for those of us not living in the couture world.

My point (of view) is that I believe that these lessons start at home.  It is up to us as moms to set good examples for our daughters.  The media is not going away.  Where we can make a real difference is how we orient ourselves and our children around these things and allow them to make good choices for themselves.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic.  It’s a controversial one and I’m sure lots of you may have dissenting opinions – all of which I’d love to hear. So, JOIN THIS CONVERSATION!

Toxins toxins everywhere.  We now know that there are certain toxins, specifically endocrine disrupting chemicals, in our personal care products and we are ever more vigilant about reading labels.    We also know that pesticides used on the foods we eat and chemical preservatives used in foods are not good.  So, we try to eat cleaner and healthier.  I’m not perfect, but I try.  (Admittedly, I’m scarfed down some conventional blueberries this morning and there happens to be a bag of vanilla wafers in my pantry…)

But get this…I just came across a article about the toxic chemicals in the clothes we wear.  Holy *$(%!  I can’t NOT wear clothes, right?  The good news is that these chemicals aren’t seeping from our clothes into our skin when we wear them.  Minor victory.  The bad bad news is that every time we do a load of wash, the chemicals are released into the water which then gets released into water treatment facilities.

Large companies like Nike and Puma are taking the lead and vowing to detox their products and all toxic chemicals from their supply chain by 2020.  That means that we have to wait another 9 years.  We’ve waited this long, so what’s another decade, right?

This is such a complex toxic web that it’s so hard to point the finger at just one culprit.  I’m in the skincare industry and I’m an advocate for removing these chemicals from personal care products for our young girls.  But, as I’ve always said and believed, it’s only one part of the puzzle.  Some companies in this industry would like for you to believe that you will die from using a conventional skincare product.  I’m of the belief that we all need to make changes in all aspects of our lives.  This recent article about toxins in our clothing is just more proof of the pervasiveness of our chemical problems.

So, I wonder if there will be a group advocating nudity.  Just asking☺

If you want to read the full article, here’s the link:  http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/20110825/greenpeace-research-reveals-toxic-chemicals-biggest-clothing-brands.htm

It makes your hair super straight and silky.  It wonderfully preserves your favorite body wash and lotion, keeping the fungus and bacteria at bay.  So, what’s the big deal?  In fact, I was in a toy store (I won’t name names) over the weekend and I saw a cute manicure kit for little girls complete with a nail dryer and a variety of colors of polish.  I flipped the package over to read the ingredients and “formaldehyde” was listed.  Now, I can’t recall if it was a part of another ingredient, but the word just jumped out at me.  WOW, I thought.  How does this stuff even sell?  Well, obviously, the girls are the ones picking up these cute kits and begging mom for it.  Mom either gives in and throws it in the cart, no questions asked, or makes her daughter put it back where she got it.  So, the back of the package probably never gets looked at.  But, this is my job, so I’m a bit more inclined to look scrutinously at these things.

When I was little, I drank a big cup of bath water filled with Mr. Bubble, at the behest of my older sister.  I ended up in the hospital with, my mom tells me, “formaldehyde poisoning”.  Turns out, it was a bi-product of ingredients in the product.  Scary, right?  So, I have my own personal demons to deal with when it comes to formaldehyde.

But, I’ve done some research and I came across an article on Truth or Scare – Personal Care Information Based on Scientific Facts. http://personalcaretruth.com/2010/08/exposing-the-formaldehyde-myth/.  I’m all about the science of things, so I read it carefully.  It left me wondering if I’ve been wrong all along.  Have I let my emotions and memories cloud my rational judgement?  I have a lot to say about this, but I’d much rather you read the article for yourself and let me know what you think as opposed to just reacting to my opinion.  The article prompted many comments that you should read, as well.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION!!!  This is quite an interesting one.

We’ve been on the road going to trade shows so that we can fulfill our vision of making natural products available for all girls!  But, it’s not easy standing out at a trade show.  How do you come up with an idea that actually fits with your brand and what you’re trying to accomplish?

Enter my husband, the creative genius. He’s actually the behind the scenes numbers and operational guy, but it was his idea to create a bathroom for girls and showcase JOON in this environment.  When we’re in an room filled with people showcasing clothes, shoes and accessories, we want buyers to realize that skin care is just as logical a purchasing decision.  Beauty and fashion go hand-in-hand, after all.  We ladies can walk into a store and have everything available at our fingertips – the latest face creams, perfumes, exfoliators.  And, then we can round the corner and check out this season’s new shoes – all in the same place.  Ironically, our girls love the same things, but we don’t give them the same choices.  We relegate their experimentation to “play”.  We’re more than happy to purchase the latest licensed skincare product with glitter at the toy store because it’s fun, right?  They’re just playing, after all.

We want moms and retailers to realize that, yes, it’s fun, but it’s also something we should take seriously.  Girls should be able to experiment, but they should have the choice of healthy products.  And, why not have these products available where they shop for clothes and shoes?  It just seems so….natural!

(By the way, if you’re going to be in Vegas, visit us at the WWD MAGIC show!  We’re the booth with the toilet!)

We’re always talking about how young is too young when it comes to our kids.  How young is too young to wear make up?  How young is too young to eat hard candy?  (that’s my own little weird deal!)

But let’s flip the script for a moment.  I was reading a post on www.joongirl.com about feather hair extensions.  I was quite intrigued.  How cool!  This new trend took me back to my childhood.  Growing up in the 70s and early 80….of course there was a time when I had huge feathers clipped in my hair!

I immediately checked out an etsy store and purchased some cool peacock feathers.  I couldn’t wait to get them in the mail.  But, when they arrived, I had second thoughts.  AM I TOO OLD FOR THIS?  I mean, I went to a Selena Gomez concert and noticed almost every girl has a colorful feather in her hair.  So, I went home that night and looked at my beautiful feathers sitting on my nightstand.  Would it seem like I’m trying to hard?

I went out with a close friend (my age) and asked her, “how old is too old to wear feathers in your hair”?  She’s actually a hair stylist and sees the young girls coming in in droves, so I trusted her opinion.  ”You’re on the cusp,” she said.

Just this morning, I pulled out the feathers from a drawer and pinned them in.

Image courtesy of Flickr:  Soulshots Photography

I ran into an old friend the other day (I won’t name names here) and she looked amazing.  Better than she did 10 years ago.  She was in great shape and her face looked unbelievable.  But, something didn’t seem quite right.  Why weren’t there any lines on her face?  I’m not talking wrinkles (some are just blessed with good genetics and have the common sense to stay out of the sun and/or wear sun protection) – I’m talking expression lines.  I’m not sure if she was aware of my deep gaze at her face during our conversation, but I was just trying to figure it all out.  My conclusion:  possible surgery?  more plausible, Botox or some other type of injection.

I live in South Florida, so it’s not unusual that most people (women and men, alike) have undergone some sort of beautifying, age-defying procedure.  In fact, I’m starting to think (and believe) that, barring superior genes, it probably takes a drastic move like an injection or surgery to truly “erase the fine lines”.

A self-proclaimed beauty junkie, I’m a sucker for claims.  At the end of the day, though, I think those claims have an amazing placebo effect on my psyche, but don’t really do anything for my face.  As long as I feel like my age-defying cream is doing something, is that ok?

I believe that the key is to start taking care of your skin at a young age.  Realize the effects of sun damage.  Wear your daily sunscreen.  Wash and moisturize your face everyday.  Drink plenty of water.  Fast forward a couple of decades and you’ll thank yourself.  If you have a few frown lines or wrinkles, well, they’re well earned and beautiful.  Barring surgery or Botox, there’s not a bottle of magic cream that’s going to make them go away.  Oh, and what’s all this talk about “diminishing fine lines”?  I think it’s just all talk.

Take care of your skin now and be happy with the results later.  Our faces are a reflection of the life we’ve lived.

Image courtesy of :  Suzanne Tenner/Relativity Media (from New York Times article)

Summer is here and the summer (potential) blockbusters are upon us. The opening of Judy Moody is just around the corner (by the way, we’ve got passes to the premier in South Florida if you’re interested in joining us!); Mr. Popper’s Penguin’s (June 17th); the final installment of Harry Potter opens in July. The list goes on, but I’ll end mine for the sake of brevity.

I came across an interesting article in the New York Times about the portrayal of tweens in Hollywood. Rather, the challenge of portraying tweens on the big screen.  As a mom, first and foremost, I found the article quite interesting. Secondarily, as the founder of a company that creates products for tweens, I found it insightful.

It’s not that difficult for me to remember my experiences as a tween.  A lot of what I was feeling and experiencing went unsaid not only to my friends, but my parents, as well.  I remember well the Judy Bloom books when I was around 8 or 9.  As I matured (I use that word loosely!), so did the story lines.  Who remembers the book “Forever”?

“There have always been terrible social anxieties about the transition from girlhood to adolescence,” said Meenakshi Gigi Durham, an associate professor of media and women’s studies at the University of Iowa. “That’s why Judy Blume’s books were so controversial. They realistically engaged with the complexities of that age.”

Portraying the delicacies of a girl’s first period is hard enough on the page. It’s quite another challenge on the big screen. Whereas the humiliations of preadolescence are fodder for comedy in male characters — the squeaking voice, the pimples, the delayed growth spurt — in girls it’s an age often avoided.

(excerpt from article)

I think that the reason that not only Hollywood, but anyone trying to portray, speak to, engage a tween is so difficult is because those “complexities” are so personal and unique to each girl that they can’t be wrapped into a character.  Sure, there are shared experiences, but this is the age where you take those experiences and figure out how to incorporate them (or not), identify with them.  When tweens read something on a page, they can interpret and internalize those words in ways that they see fit.  When they see a character on the big screen, the there’s no room for interpretation.

If you read our web site or our Facebook posts, you’ll see that we try not to be didactic in our messages or our story.  Many natural brands (for tween and teens) try so hard to lay on the message of what our girls MUST do:  OR ELSE!  We want girls to discover and learn on their terms.  We’re in the process of launching www.joongirl.com – a place just for girls – for just that reason.  They can choose to participate or just observe.  They can take away, interpret and internalize as they see fit.

So, this summer, take your girls to see the fun movies that are coming out.  But just remember that the girls on the big screen are not representative of the amazing, complex, fascinating, growing girls of this generation (or any generation, for that matter!).

To read the full article, click the following link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/movies/hollywood-challenge-portrayals-of-tween-girls.html?_r=2&hpw