Sophie Mitchell Turned Sweet 16, But Did She Turn Sweet at 16?

The former Super-Sweet-Sixteener dishes what really happened on her 16th birthday and how she rose above the harsh backlash. 
by Julia Morpurgo

Mitchell's on-screen party entrance, courtesy of MTV.com

On August 15, 2005, Sophie Mitchell and her mother sat back in the plush seating of P. Diddy’s luxurious New York Dream Hotel, watching the video of Mitchell’s 16th birthday party. This wasn’t a typical home video, and it certainly wasn’t a typical sweet 16. No, this was a nationally televised, $180,000 birthday extravaganza—complete with can-can dancers, a fleet of stretch limousines, a $1,500 cake, and MTV’s hawking camera crew. As the second season of “My Super Sweet 16” premiered, Mitchell watched as cameras documented her reaction to the 30-minute cut of the five-week filming process.

“My mom and I just laughed because we knew what was real and what wasn’t,” Mitchell said. “It was hilarious because it was so ridiculous. I knew it didn’t make me look good, but I didn’t care—at the time.”

Before the credits rolled, Mitchell was out the door and in a live national radio interview. “Right after I watched it, I didn’t get to concentrate on the responses from my friends and family,” Mitchell said. “Instead, I was concentrating on the responses from America. And, um, they weren’t good.”

To watch the preview of Mitchell’s “My Super Sweet Sixteen” episode, click here.

Israel Endorses Ban on Underweight Models and Photo-Editing

Last week, Israel’s parliament endorsed a bill that aimed to keep underweight models out of commercials, prohibit modeling agencies and photographers from employing them, and ban the media and advertising agencies from airbrushing models to extremes.

The bill was submitted by advocates for women’s health issues as part of an effort to combat the international eating disorders epidemic.

My Thoughts on Cosmetic Surgery

After struggling for years with my own body image and self-esteem, I’ve come to dedicate a great deal of my time to encouraging positive thinking and confidence in others. I volunteer with organizations that work to spread positive body image and eating disorders awareness, and I blog about fun ways to ensure that self-confidence is at the forefront of all that we do.

So I was somewhat startled when I was recently asked how I felt about cosmetic surgery—at least in the scheme of my push for self-love. Caught off-guard, I mumbled something about seeing both the pros and cons, but after a week of pondering the issue, this is the more formal opinion I’ve formulated:

I am absolutely not against cosmetic surgery. While I am adamant about loving yourself, I’m in no way oblivious to the quirks and imperfections that we all have. And while hopefully you can embrace these quirks, if there is something that makes you terribly unhappy and there’s a way to change it and make yourself happier with your appearance—in turn making you more confident in yourself—then I'm all for it!

Jessica Simpson Awarded for Exploring Real Beauty

Simpson at the 35th Annual Gracie Award Gala in L.A. where she received the Dove Real Beauty Award 

Only six months in, 2010 has already been a big year for Jessica Simpson. The singer/actress has responded to years of media criticism and scrutiny by questioning who and what truly defines beauty. And on May 25^th, The Alliance for Women in Media and Dove®, the global beauty brand, acknowledged her efforts, awarding Jessica Simpson the 2010 Dove Real Beauty Award.

Every year, the Dove Real Beauty Award honors the woman who best embodies and expresses the “substance and spirit” of real beauty through her life and career. Previous recipients include actress/comedienne Amy Poehler and journalist/TV host Lisa Ling.

Boyfriend: What's in the title?

Things couldn’t be better with your guy! For the past few months, you’ve been on romantic dates, met a bunch of his friends, had deep conversations, and shared some super amazing kisses. In fact, all evidence suggests that you’ve found yourself a pretty awesome boyfriend… the only question: is that what you call him?

In our crazy world of flirting, dating and hooking up, it’s become difficult to decide when he officially is or should be called your “boyfriend.” Is it something that comes after a certain amount of time—one month? three months? six? Or is it something to be decided early on, essential to establishing a real relationship?

And what truly defines a boyfriend—his title or his actions? And is one even valuable without the reassurance of the other?

Happy Birthday from Facebook and 800 of your closest friends

So I realize I haven't kept up with this in a while, so I'm uploading some posts, most of which I wrote a while ago, but figure should all be featured on one blog, starting with this birthday post. Haha, and yes, my 21st birthday was back in May... oops! 

Last week I celebrated my 21^st birthday. It was a great weekend of champagne, friends and family, and I loved every moment of it. But once the helium balloons began to deflate and the remains of my chocolate-frosted cake were long-gone, I faced the plethora of “happy birthday!!” Facebook posts that overwhelmed my wall.

I may be one of the few people that doesn’t post a generic “thanks for the birthday wishes,” and instead, I still try to sort through them each one by one, thanking everybody and trying to catch up as much as a wall post allows. Well this year, I realized that while around 200 people had sent me their best on Facebook, I had only received a dozen-or-so texts and emails, maybe a handful of actual calls, and even fewer hand-written cards. And not to complain, (I realize that so many people acknowledging my day was amazing and I really was deeply touched), but I did note the irony that Facebook—“the social networking sensation”—was actually limiting the true personal interaction I had with my friends on my birthday.

Is it best to go back to your first love? My thoughts at the end of junior year

There’s one week left of the semester, but boy has this semester changed my plans.

I’ve always had a solid vision of where I was going. At six or seven, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer. One day, I would investigate the biggest scandals and cross-examine the highest-profile suspects, and then, with some brilliant closing statement, I’d win my big-time cases and bring justice to the world, time and time again, just like in the movies.