TresSugar

Keeping Baby Gender a Secret Could Save Girls in India

CitizenSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:00:48 -0700

India’s prime minster, Manmohan Singh is calling for stricter enforcement on laws designed to hide the sex of the fetus from their parents until birth. She described the rampant aborting of female fetuses as a “national shame.”

The decline in female births can be attributed to two factors. First is money. A family with a female is required to scrape together a dowry to their son-in-law - this can be a very heavy financial burden and bury the parents in crushing debt. The wealthier regions of India suffered the most acute imbalance in female to male birth ratio where a male heir is of particular importance and the access to the surprising high-tech reason #2 is much easier. To see what it is, read more.

The slipping number of baby girls is also due to the employment of more sophisticated pre-natal technologies like ultrasound. To combat the female decline, pregnant women are required to sign a form agreeing not to seek to know the sex of their fetus. If a doctor slips and reveals this information, they can be imprisoned for up to five years. The don't ask don't tell approach to baby law is widely flouted and very difficult to enforce. Some doctors covertly report the sex of the child by offering pink or blue candy, others give coded remarks; there simply is no effective enforcement.

It is estimated in 2006 as many as ten million female fetuses had been aborted over the past 20 years. Do you think that people have a right to determine whether they want a male or female child? Do you think the government should intervene?

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The How-To Lounge: Beating Summer Frizz

DearSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:00:00 -0700

I love when women take a casual approach to summer looks, especially when it comes to their hair. Beach waves have made a huge come back, but with humidity and scorching temps comes frizz, especially if you have curly hair. To learn some tips on keeping your hair under control this summer season, click here to read more

Invest in a good haircut, it really does matter. Layers, usually with a blunt cut, will help your curly hair keep its shape. Let your hairdresser know if frizz is a problem as they can actually cut hair to avoid frizz
"Curly hair is thirsty hair" so avoid washing it everyday -- the natural oils are good for your hair. Use a gentle shampoo when you do wash your hair. and be sure to use a good, rich, moisturizing conditioner
One thing I recently learned (that I wish I learned years ago) was to avoid hairbrushes if you have curly hair. Brushing your hair will create frizz and static, especially when it's dry. Instead, comb your hair in the shower when you are conditioning it and towel dry without combing it again
The less you handle your hair, the less frizzy it will get. Some people's hair needs to be twisted while it dries or pulled back in a bun to shape it, but I recommend avoiding touching your hair as much as possible
Create an anti-frizz product cocktail -- sometimes it takes some trial and error to find the perfect concoction
Avoid using products with alcohol or any synthetic oils as they will only further dry out your hair
Mousse is a great product for curly hair -- it tames frizz without weighing down your hair, all the while keeping your curls bouncy
Since the summer sun, sea water and chlorine can wreak havoc on your hair, make sure to use a protecting leave in conditioner before hitting the beach or the pool

I hope these tips are helpful. Laying off the blow dryer, even if it's just a few days a week, will help prevent drying out and damaging your hair resulting in less frizz overall!

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Girl Crush du Jour: Alison Brie

TresSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:12 -0800

Adorable. No word better sums up actress Alison Brie. And while I am sure the 26-year-old would prefer a more sophisticated adjective, she does play Trudy Campbell on Mad Men and ain't nothin' more sophisticated than that. Combine that with her success as the strung-out community college student on NBC's Community, and how I could not be crushing?

Other than radiating ebullience in real life, Alison, who says she's rarely recognized on the street, seems nothing like either character. She grew up with hippie parents in South Pasadena, CA, where she still lives and showed up to a Pasadena Weekly interview in a "Die Yuppie Scum" t-shirt.

But Alison's not as innocent as she or her characters look. She told Pasadena Weekly: "I don’t know why people see me . . . like I’m all prim and proper, when I couldn’t be more different. People think I come off that way, but I’m not.”

She's right. In this 2007 skit, she dishes it right back to the Internet's most infamous yogi, The Underminer, when he asks her to be in his variety show that's like "Curb Your Enthusiasm meets You Can't Do That on Television." Namaste! Watch it below.

Grab Bag! Sneezing Girl Might Never Stop

TresSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:13 -0800

Since last month, this 12-year-old girl has been sneezing nonstop. She may have intractable psychogenic sneezing disorder. - Lemondrop
Check out Buzz's review of Precious, which is making its way to theaters around the country. - BuzzSugar
Are men more competitive than women? Probably not. - Double X
Find out how Consumer Reports tests condoms. - Em&Lo
10 big reasons to date short dudes. - The Frisky
Some thoughts on ageism. - Glamour
The pros and cons of marrying young. - Your Tango

GoGirl - Love It or Leave It?

TresSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0800

I envy guys for being able to pee anywhere - especially when I'm camping or attending an outdoor festival or something. But what stops me is the whole drip-drying issue, not the lack of a special tool, which is why I find the GoGirl feminine urination device ($7) a tad puzzling. This silicone funnel comes in a cute tube and creates a watertight seal so you can "go anywhere" with no mess or fuss. The tagline: "don't take life sitting down." Do you think this is empowering or just plain silly?

OMFG! Blow, Booze, and Threesomes on Gossip Girl

TresSugar — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:00:00 -0800

You know what the Parents Television Council doesn't like? Threesomes. Implicit or explicit, it says there's no place for a ménage à trois on network TV. Fair enough! The council has asked The CW to reconsider airing Monday's Gossip Girl episode, which will feature a threesome.

After an US Weekly interview about the sartorial splendor of Gossip Girl, Costume Designer Eric Daman took a jab at the controversy while talking to New York magazine's Daily Intel. He made a very valid point, saying:

"So, it’s okay for them to be doing blow and drinking Scotch when they’re 18, but it’s not okay for them to be having a threesome?"

I can't really argue with that! About a quarter of TrèsSugar readers have had a threesome, which sounds about right to me. In my experience, teen drinking is more about taking your vodka messy in Gatorade bottles rather than neat in martini glasses - forget thinking about threesomes! So while the Parents Television Council can take their argument to the network that brought us OMFG, I'd have to say GFL! What say you?

Photos courtesy of The CW

Were You Ever Attracted to Bad Boys?

TresSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:15 -0800

With her rocker eyeliner, all-black wardrobe, and perfected eye roll, Gossip Girl's Jenny Humphrey isn't exactly fitting in with the prissy kids at her prep school. It's obvious that she needs a bad boy by her side, and on last night's episode that's just what she gets.

Jenny meets up with a Belgian diplomat's son, who happens to be drug pusher. She seems turned on or at least intrigued by his rebellious side and ends up helping him with some sales. Luckily, original bad boy Chuck Bass (they know his name even in Europe) is there to save Jenny from the dangers of drugs. But now that she's had a taste of the fast life, I suspect she'll be back for more, especially since she already has the wardrobe.

Although Jenny's appearance in the episode is otherwise pointless, it did remind us that sometimes we can be attracted to bad boys - even if it's completely stupid. Have you ever had a thing for troublemakers?

For more Gossip Girl coverage, check out FabSugar, BellaSugar, BuzzSugar, and CelebStyle.)

Photos courtesy of The CW

Ladies of the '80s Barbies - Love It or Leave It?

TresSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:00:43 -0800

Move over Kristen Stewart! Barbie is the latest impersonator to pay homage to rock and roll icon Joan Jett.

Regular Barbie - and those anatomically-impossible small feet she jams into high heels - must be jealous that Mattel's new Joan Jett Barbie gets to sport some rad red Converse. If Joan Jett isn't your thing, you can also pick up the Cyndi Lauper doll, the Debbie Harry doll, or the Barbara Streisand doll. They're all part of Mattel's new "Ladies of the '80s" collection, which ensures that grown women may once again unwrap a Barbie this holiday season.

Are you digging these dolls or does the fact that they're Barbies diminish the girl power cred?

Berlusconi's Mistress Tells Us More Than We Need to Know

TresSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:30:23 -0800

Italians really take their sex scandals to the next level. Today, Patrizia D'Addario, former call girl mistress to Italy's "I'm no saint" prime minister, adds a "lesbian dimension" to her tale of sex, power, and retaliation.

Patrizia has a book coming out and excerpts reveal that she has been the target of threats, robbery, and violence after going public about her affair with Silvio Berlusconi. But that's not stopping her. Describing a party held at Berlusconi's home, Patrizia shares the prime minister's preference for white silk pajamas and women who like other women. To see an excerpt, read more.

Patrizia writes:

"Other girls arrived, including a pair of lesbians, and a few other escorts. . . My first thought was that I'd found myself in a harem. He was on the couch and all of us, 20 girls in all, were at his disposition."

While the presence of lesbians probably seems relatively inconsequential, it might upset Italian citizens who were otherwise willing to dismiss heterosexual escapades. And as the Guardian reports, Berlusconi can say good-bye to a recent break from bad press: "The publication of D'Addario's book will divert public attention back to the affair after a period in which the focus had been on another sex scandal involving the former center-left governor of the region around Rome. Piero Marrazzo resigned after being filmed taking drugs and having sex with a transsexual." Mama mia.

Say What? Megan Fox Talks Girl-on-Girl Hatred

TresSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:00:59 -0800

"The problem is, if they think you’re attractive, you’re either stupid or a whore or a dumb whore. The instinct among girls is to attack the jugular.”

- Megan Fox tries to explain why she's not too popular with the ladies. The actress, who is on the cover of this weekend's New York Times Magazine, is having a hard time gaining traction with a female audience.