In Pictures: Sinkholes around the world
In Pictures: What happened to the green revolution in Iran?
In Pictures: Facing the devastation of the Oklahoma tornadoes
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/20
In Pictures: Weather extremes 2013
In Pictures: The Israeli separation barrier: A West Bank wall
In Pictures: Derby Day devotees, Kenyan style
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/16
In Pictures: Dazzle like Beckham
Thousands of readers follow Mary Finucane (l.) who blogs about steering her daughter Caoimhe (r.) away from the Disney Princess habit. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Caoimhe Finucane, dressed as a native American, once ‘played’ by sitting still to wait for her prince. Her mom now encourages her to expand
Maya Rovniak, 13, uses mascara almost daily – as do 18 percent of US girls ages 8 to 12. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Increasingly sexualized images of women in advertising are beacons for even young girls. Padded bras exist for girls as young as 5. Matt Rourke/AP
Girls see cheerleaders much more often on TV than female athletes playing basketball or other sports. Ric Tapia/Icon SMI/Newscom/File
Girls start to drop out of sports – such as track – at the middle-school level when they start to believe that sports are unfeminine and unsexy. Newscom
Modern American girlhood, some experts and commentators say, is threatened by an increasingly sexualized environment in popular culture. The Green Girls summer program in Nashua, N.H. attempts to refocus young girls' self-awareness from what they look like to the good they can do -- with mentoring to back it up. Here a group of girls finishes up a trash collection project. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
If the shoe fits, should she wear it? Harriet Rovniak, 10, tries on sky-high heels for fun in a Natick, Mass. store. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Young girls hang out doing handplays before activities begin in a self-esteem-building program of mentoring and enrichment at Girls, Inc., a nonprofit in Nashua, N.H. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
In Pictures: Sinkholes around the world
In Pictures: What happened to the green revolution in Iran?
In Pictures: Facing the devastation of the Oklahoma tornadoes
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/20
In Pictures: Weather extremes 2013
In Pictures: The Israeli separation barrier: A West Bank wall
In Pictures: Derby Day devotees, Kenyan style
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/16
In Pictures: Dazzle like Beckham
Burmese are celebrating an end to their long international isolation with the first state visit to the US by a Myanmar president in almost 50 years.
Myanmar President Thein Sein's historic Monday meeting with US President Obama has been well-received at home, with Burmese seemingly happy that the country is gaining some positive recognition on the world stage after decades of isolation.
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