By Lori Adelman • @ladelman • 13 years ago

Quick Hit: Early Puberty and What it Means for Girls

Check out this excellent post written by my colleague Melanie over on Akimbo discussing the effects of early puberty on the health of young girls:

In recent years, the transition from girlhood to womanhood  has seemed to come faster, and has had everyone from gossip columnists to politicians abuzz. From sexualized kindergarteners on TLC’s “Toddlers and Tiaras” to horrific images and tragic stories of child brides in the news, the sexual maturity of young girls is in the spotlight. A new study out today complicates the issue: girls—at least in America—are hitting puberty earlier and earlier—some as young as seven years old. In the spirit of “protecting girlhood,” there’s been a lot of brouhaha over naming the culprit of early physical maturation of girls, with both obesity and environmental factors under scrutiny. But instead of pointing fingers, we need to face the facts and focus on the changing needs of girls in our lives and around the world.

Click here to read the whole piece!

Brooklyn, NY

Lori Adelman started blogging with Feministing in 2008, and now runs partnerships and strategy as a co-Executive Director. She is also the Director of Youth Engagement at Women Deliver, where she promotes meaningful youth engagement in international development efforts, including through running the award-winning Women Deliver Young Leaders Program. Lori was formerly the Director of Global Communications at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and has also worked at the United Nations Foundation on the Secretary-General's flagship Every Woman Every Child initiative, and at the International Women’s Health Coalition and Human Rights Watch. As a leading voice on women’s rights issues, Lori frequently consults, speaks and publishes on feminism, activism and movement-building. A graduate of Harvard University, Lori has been named to The Root 100 list of the most influential African Americans in the United States, and to Forbes Magazine‘s list of the “30 Under 30” successful mediamakers. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Lori Adelman is an Executive Director of Feministing in charge of Partnerships.

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