Girl Magazine

The girls' empowerment movement is one of the most positive public health trends in the country these days, and the multitude of health books for girls is proof. It's possible to find a good book for a girl on almost any aspect of physical or psychological health. Some of the latest offerings include two new books from Pleasant Co., which has set the standard for girls' health with its American Girl magazine and library of books.

They've got it all. The style, the financial clout, the fashion sense, the influence. We listen to their music, copy their threads, mimic their language, envy their Internet savvy. Where they lead, we will follow . . . eventually. They are America's teens--high on the totem pole of the Millennium Generation (young people ages 5 to 20), who have the collective buying power of more than $140 billion.

They've got it all. The style, the financial clout, the fashion sense, the influence. We listen to their music, copy their threads, mimic their language, envy their Internet savvy. Where they lead, we will follow . . . eventually. They are America's teens--high on the totem pole of the Millennium Generation (young people ages 5 to 20), who have the collective buying power of more than $140 billion.

The girls' empowerment movement is one of the most positive public health trends in the country these days, and the multitude of health books for girls is proof. It's possible to find a good book for a girl on almost any aspect of physical or psychological health. Some of the latest offerings include two new books from Pleasant Co., which has set the standard for girls' health with its American Girl magazine and library of books.

As Forever 21 continues to rocket into the 21st century, competitors are undoubtedly trying to decode the fast-fashion chain's successful formula. Low prices? Trendy merchandise that cycles in and out of stores on a daily basis? Super-size stores modeled after the 86,000-square-foot location that recently opened in Cerritos? Forever 21 has all that, but the real secret weapon may be a couple of women who look as if they're barely out of high school. Linda Chang, 28, and her sister Esther, 23, the Ivy League-educated daughters of Forever 21's Korean American founders Don and Jin Sook Chang, seem to have the stylish eye and marketing savvy to take the $2-billion brand into the future and make it a competitor on a global level with European fast-fashion giants H&M, Mango and Zara.

If you need to surf the Web before catching your first wave, you may want to check out some of these sites: E-zines: Surf Chicks: http://members.aol.com/khill47923/SurfChicks.html SurferGirl magazine: http://www.surfergrrl.com Water Girl: http://www.water girl.com Water Wahine: http://members.aol.com/surferdp/surferdp.htm Women Surfers: http://www.surfart.com/women--surfers/Site1.html WOW--Women of Water Sports: http://www.wowsports.org Shops: A Woman's Shape: http://www.awssurf.

Two venerable teenage "girl" sites, Teen.com and Alloy.com, have found ways to stay current and viable with a fickle audience. Teen.com One look at the home page of Teen.com (http://www.teen.com) tells the visitor this is a well-organized site loaded with content. Teen.com is geared toward teenage girls, with columns and features covering books, music, TV, movies, dating, beauty, fashion, games, news and college information.

American Girl and Lego have venerable children's product lines and support a strong online presence at AmericanGirl.com and Lego.com. AmericanGirl.com The American Girls Collection was launched in 1985 to "educate and entertain girls--building self-esteem and positive social values." It has grown to encompass books, dolls, accessories, software, magazines and AmericanGirl.com. AmericanGirl.com has two main sections, Fun for Girls and an e-tailer sister site simply called Shop.

When 287 female executives were asked what parts of their lives define them, the top two answers were mother and hobbies, followed by spouse and career. According to the survey conducted by the T Co., a high-fashion T-shirt company based in Larchmont, N.Y., 69% of those polled said they regularly participate in a hobby. Gardening was the top hobby, followed by yoga, tennis, golf and fishing.

Pity the poor surfers. They may be able to take whatever the Wedge dishes out, but not many can make money doing it. Few are the spots in pro surfing. The surf-magazine world is maxed out, and the market is saturated with surf-wear labels -- Billabong, Op, Quiksilver, Hurley, North Reef, South Bay, Left Wing, whatever. It's getting so bad some surfers are actually being forced to get real jobs to support their wave habits. There's still hope.

IN MANY LATINO families, the quinceanera plays out like "Cinderella." A 15-year-old girl, dressed in a gown and tiara, arrives at the ball in flats. She changes into heels to symbolize that she has become a woman. So it only makes sense to throw the shindig in front of the official Cinderella Castle facade, right? Executives at Disney think so. Last week, the company announced that it would begin selling quinceanera vacation packages to Disney World in Florida.

Across the city, it's easy to pick out the American Girls. They tote a doll in one hand and a mom in the other, young pilgrims on their way to the Mecca of doll adoration--the American Girl Place. On her second visit to the holy site along Chicago's Magnificent Mile, Shannon O'Donald filled a red shopping bag with a hairstyling kit and a summer outfit for her doll Alexis. She also posed for a souvenir cover of American Girl magazine.