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Choosing a sperm donor: Would you pay for a ‘celebrity’ dad?

Choosing a sperm donor: Would you pay more for a 'celebrity' dad?

A UK website is offering women a choice of VIP sperm donors, but Australian women value health over status

Actor, genius, rock star, or aristocrat. These are the options a UK website gives women choosing the potential father of their children.

No they aren’t profiles on some exclusive dating agency, but a sperm bank offering a catalogue of VIP donors to women with a penchant for privileged backgrounds or celebrity status.

Related: My dad was a sperm donor

Charging over $20,000 for “celebrity sperm”, the website “Fame Daddy” claims to guarantee women their child will be “a proven winner” that will get “a head start in life”.

While it is unknown how much of the exorbitant fee the donor will see, visitors to the website are told celebrity donors “are looking for a way to make a difference, to give something back to their fans.”

Having a premiership footballer or millionaire entrepreneur as a surrogate father may seem attractive, but the “top-flight client list of celebrity donors” might not be as popular as the soon-to-launch website founders think.

In Australia it is illegal to buy or sell human tissue, so women or partners seeking sperm don’t have the option of paying top dollar for “better” sperm, but they can still choose from a catalogue of donors.

According to leading fertility clinic Fertility East, women seeking donors are more interested in genetic characteristics rather than their education or VIP status.

While information about donors’ nationality, appearance, height and occupation are available to women or couples choosing their sperm donors, occupation or status are often given the least consideration by those looking to start the lengthy process.

“A woman’s motivation when it comes to donor selection is multifactorial depending on her and her partners expectations,” Fertility East’s medical director Dr Bernstein told The Weekly.

“These can include religion, education, health, physical characteristics, but most commonly availability of the donor and the woman’s urgency to commence treatment.”

Related: I had a baby at 50 — without IVF

Women or couples selecting from a catalogue of sperm donors are more likely to select someone who looks like them, and is healthy.

According for IVF Australia, people would be more likely to select donors based on their resemblance to the mother or couple, rather than forking out for a “rock star baby”.

Your say: What would you look for in a sperm donor?

Video: I’m donor-sexual

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Suri Cruise running to catch the bell at school

Hurry Suri! Suri Cruise is showing some enthusiasm about going to school, making a last-minute dash to class so she wouldn't be late.
Suri Cruise at school

Hurry, Suri!

After mum Katie Holmes dropped Suri Cruise off at school on Thursday, the six-year-old made a hurried dash to class.

Suri has been attending the exclusive Avenues school in Manhattan for a month now, and it seems she’s finally showing some enthusiasm.

Previously home-schooled, Suri looked terrified on her first day but seems to be enjoying school life now.

Among other subjects the first-grader is learning Mandarin and her mother walks her to school almost every day.

Suri rushed to class worried she would be late this week.

She looked like a little fashionista even in her school uniform last week.

Suri jumped for joy when the school week was out last month.

Suri also sang as she walked.

Suri seemed unimpressed when mum Katie Holmes asked her to calm down.

Suri’s father Tom has not been accompanying her on the way to school.

Suri looked sad in her uniform during her first week of school.

Suri looked understandably terrified on her first day of school.

Suri has a history of playing up for the cameras.

Suri also acted up for the papparazzi last November.

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Hilary Duff slams body after baby pressure

Hilary Duff slams body after baby pressure

New mum Hilary Duff has spoken out about the pressures on celebrity mums to quickly shed their baby weight.

Talking to Parents magazine, the mother of seven-month-old Luca admitted she was struggling to live up to Hollywood expectations that she would immediately snap back to her pre-baby body.

“There are some women who look the same right after — I think they are freaks of nature! I don’t know how that happens,” the 25-year-old said.

“I’m not one of those people. It takes your body nine months to get there — really 10 months. So I’m trying to be patient but I’m working hard. And I think now more than ever, I appreciate my body and what it’s done for me.”

Hilary, who married her hockey star husband Mike Comrie in 2010, said living in the public eye was also difficult.

“I mean there are photographers following me every day. So you feel the pressure because of what people write about you,” she told the magazine.

“Not that they’re personal attacks, but obviously, when you see ‘Hilary Debuts Post-Baby Body!’ you want to tell people, ‘No, actually, I was just going out to get a coffee’.”

The young mum said she was enjoying the many joys of parenting and that she can hardly put her feelings of being a first time mum into words.

“It’s really wonderful. There are no words to describe it. I mean, to say “It’s wonderful” sounds minuscule,” she said.

“When you get to see your baby for the first time, and they put him on your chest, and you’re looking into each other’s eyes, this feeling just washes over you and there are really no words.”

Despite her joy, Hilary says that being a mum isn’t always easy.

“You know what, I think that I work well under pressure. So I’ll step up to the plate when there’s a screaming baby and he needs something,” she said.

“I do have a lot of energy, I feel great, and I had a really easy pregnancy. I want to have more kids and I’m looking forward to doing that, but I’m not in any rush.”

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Misogyny tirade inspires dictionary rethink

Misogyny tirade inspired dictionary rethink

The Prime Minister has blown up at Tony Abbott in an explosive speech

Since the Prime Minister’s anti-sexism tirade last week, misogyny has become the biggest buzz word of the year.

We’ve read and heard it more times than we’ve bothered to learn to spell it — and a lot of us probably don’t even really understand what it means.

Related: Was the PM’s tirade at Abbott justified?

Well even if you did, forget everything you thought you knew about misogyny, because ever so timely, the Australian Macquarie Dictionary has decided to update the meaning of the word, broadening its definition.

The word and its meaning have been the subject of great scrutiny as the debate over sexism and misogyny continues to boil, and now Macquarie Dictionary editor Susan Butler has chimed in on the argument as well.

“The established meaning of misogyny is ‘hatred of women’, but this goes back to the 1600s in English and that acquired the status of a psychological term,” she said in a statement.

“Since the 1980s, misogyny has come to be used as a synonym for sexism — a synonym with bite but nevertheless with the meaning of ‘entrenched prejudice against women’ rather than ‘pathological hatred’.”

Considering its current use for an underlying frame of mind or attitude of which sexism is the outward form, the Macquarie Dictionary has decided a second definition is necessary.

One which is “slightly stronger than sexist but heading in that direction towards entrenched prejudice rather than just visceral hatred,” Ms Butler said.

While the updated meaning may be more accurate for its use today, the update, obviously inspired by Julia Gillard’s use of it in relation to Tony Abbott and the world’s reaction, won’t please everyone.

Related: Gillard takes a tumble

Federal MP Bronwyn Bishop accused dictionary of robbing the language of a word to describe what is truly the hatred of women.

“It is improper to change the meaning of a word simply because Julia Gillard doesn’t understand the correct meaning and usage of the words,” she said.

Your say: Do you think the word misogyny needs to be updated? Do you think it is overused?

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Gillard takes a tumble

Gillard takes a tumble

The Prime Minister fell flat when her shoe got stuck in grass on her tour of India.

She’s used to taking a slip in the polls, now Julia Gillard has fallen on her face after tripping on her heels on her way to a press conference in Delhi.

On the last day of her tour of India, the Prime Minister lost a shoe as her heel dug into the soft grass.

After saving herself by falling on her hands, with officals rushing to her aid, Ms Gillard laughed off the incident and gave a rather lengthy explanation of the perils of wearing high heels to the men surrounding her.

“For men who get to wear flat shoes all day every day, if you wear a heel it can get embedded in soft grass,” she explained.

“And then when you pull your foot out, the shoe doesn’t come, and then the rest of it is as you saw.”

The shoe mishap comes after a similar incident in August when she lost her standing, and a shoe, while trying to negotiate the stage at an event at Sydney’s Custom House.

One of the Prime Ministers shoes was also casualty to a slightly less laughable incident earlier this year while being whisked away from the Australia Day protests in Canberra.

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Can looking your age kill your career?

Can looking your age kill your career?

A UK survey has found that women think just looking over 40 can be career-limiting

As if it wasn’t enough to have to compete with young corporate-ladder-climbers, as much as they think legitimate ageism is rife in the workplace, a study has revealed that females think just looking over 40 can kill a woman’s career.

The survey found most women believed if they didn’t reach the boardroom by the time they reached 40 that they never would — and their looks probably played a big part.

An enormous two thirds of UK women surveyed believe their career advancement is curtailed once they reach 40, and more than half consider their career prospects in jeopardy if they don’t look youthful.

The survey was undertaken by leading beauty website Escentual.com, following revelations that not one single woman was promoted to the board of any of the UK’s top one hundred companies this year.

“Clearly there is a great feeling that ageism is a serious problem for women in the workplace,” a spokesperson for the website said.

“It’s a terrible situation that most that most women feel that they are unlikely to move forward with their career if they look older than forty.”

When asked if they thought men faced the same challenges, a whopping 82 percent of participants said that they believed their male counterparts did not face the same pressures — gaining authority with age, if anything.

And it seems that women are not only feeling these pressures, but acting on them as well, with 73 percent of those surveyed spending around $95 a month on age-defying products such as anti-wrinkle creams, hair treatment, and body oils.

Your say: Have you faced ageism in your career? Contact us at [email protected]

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Does Facebook cause eating disorders?

Researchers find link between anorexia and autism

When it comes to teen eating disorders the finger is often pointed at social media, but is Facebook really to blame?

Following the release of shocking figures that more than half of the UK’s hospital admissions for eating disorders were under-20 and some of those under-10, social media has copped much of the blame for contributing to the development of eating disorders in “the Facebook generation”.

Teen and pre-teen eating disorders are on the rise with children as young as seven being admitted for treatment in Australia, and anorexia nervosa among the most common disorders affecting adolescent girls.

Related: Kids under 10 admitted to hospital with eating disorders

Many commentators, including Australian Women’s Weekly readers, have suggested social media could be the culprit.

“It’s absolutely horrible that children as young as seven feel insecure about their bodies to a point where they get anorexia! I blame media and social networking… some of the stuff that is on Facebook is terrible for children to see and with celebrities being bullied when they gain a little weight… that’s even worse making everyone feel like they need to be perfect!” reader Jessica Evans said.

“A child as young as seven shouldn’t even be ON social networking,” Kate Haeden replied.

These concerns have been echoed by commentators like eating disorder charity Beat CEO Susan Ringwood, highlighting social media as a contributing cause.

“It’s a complex mix of factors as to why an eating disorder begins. It is more hard-wired than we thought before. It’s in our biology,” she told The Telegraph.

“But more girls, who are already vulnerable to these sorts of doubts [about themselves] find the pressure of social media – and the culture of needing to add photos of themselves online, particularly toxic.”

Ms Ringwood said that while we cannot change the wiring of the brain in young, vulnerable women, we can make an effort to change the web culture, calling on corporate owners of websites to take responsibility.

Popular social network Pinterest has taken steps to stop users being able to search for content relating to eating disorders, in an effort to hamper the popularity of pro-anorexia or “thin-spirational” posts.

Tumblr also began removing posts that promote eating disorders, self-harm and suicide earlier this year, which has garnered positive feedback for the site.

Tumblr’s vice president support Marc LaFountain said that while Tumblr wanted to respect freedom of speech, they felt it was important to protect the young people who use the site.

While Facebook is still yet to make a move in the area, the complexities lie in the vanities of ‘the Facebook generation’ and difficulties in restricting what people post about themselves, and how friends compare to each other.

A study from the University of Haifa recently found that the more time adolescent girls spend in front of Facebook, the more their chances of developing a negative body image, and various eating disorders.

Related: How you can boost your daughter’s body image

But even though the studies found that Facebook was a contributor, the researchers said that ultimately it was up to parents to control those habits, and encouraged parents to get involved in their daughter’s media exposure.

“This study has shown that a parent has potential ability to prevent dangerous behavioural disorders and negative eating behaviour in particular,” researchers said.

Girls whose parents were involved in their media usage – who knew what they were viewing, reading, and what websites and social networks they were visiting – showed more personal empowerment, forming a protective shield against eating disorders.

Your say: Do you think social media plays a part in contributing to adolescent eating disorders?

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Aussie women world’s most economically empowered

woman's hand holding globe of the world

An international survey has found that Australian women are the world's most economically advanced.

As commentators continue to rage over the sexism debate, an international survey has found that Australian women are the world’s most economically advanced.

Topping a list of 128 countries, women in Australia won out in access to education, market participation and anti-discrimination policies.

Following Australia were three Scandinavian countries — Norway, Sweden and Finland, with neighbouring New Zealand coming in fourth.

At the other end of the list, women from Yemen, Pakistan, Sudan and Chad were found to have the least economic sway.

Taking into account education, equal pay, non-discrimination policies, and access to credit and childcare, the study by international research firm Booz & Company found common challenges among those that struggled.

“One challenge is the care economy,” Booz & Company partner Deanne Aguirre said.

“Around the world, women are the primary caregivers for children, the elderly, and the sick, and this responsibility hampers their economic development.”

When it came to enabling women for the future, the primary recommendations all concerned investment — financial, education, and cultural — in women’s futures.

The study found a staggering one billion women would enter the global economy in the coming decade, and it was stressed that education and training for women was key if they were to successfully run businesses, as well investing in cultural perceptions so that women were confident they could compete economically with men.

Another of the research firm’s partners, Christine Rupp, pointed out that a key hurdle to overcome was lack of credit.

“Although micro financing has helped launch any women-owned businesses, these schemes also risk limiting such businesses to tiny operations in the service sector, instead of helping foster larger operations,” she said.

Although Australia came out on top in the index, with our women among the world’s most educated, we still have a way to go when it comes to equal pay.

Australian women’s average weekly earnings are 17 per cent less than men.

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Greatest fake tan fails

Celebrities have long been known to have a fake tan fail every now and then, but this body builder certainly took it to a whole new level.

The unnamed competitor, who took part in the Arnold Classic Europe bodybuilding competition — a bodybuilding competition sponsored by Arnold Schwarzenegger — has sparked a fake tan fail frenzy!

For some reason he missed one of the most important parts of his body – his head!

His fake tan disaster got us thinking about some of the worst celebrity fake tan mishaps we have seen, so here they are.

Planning on tanning? Here is how to get it right!

Greatest fake tan fails.

A bodybuilding competitor tans everything but his head.

Keira Knightley forgot her dress was backless and forgot to rub in her tan.

Laura Dundovik went a little OTT with her fake tan.

Miley Cyrus applied tan to her upper arms but not under them.

Tom Cruise looked very fresh faced when he landed at Japan.

If you are going to tan the front, you should also tan the back. Unlike Jessica Simpson.

Kim Kardashian fake tanned her hands but not her face.

Aussie boys Keith and Hugh sure look like they’ve spent too much time in the Aussie sun.

Someone should tell Lindsay Lohan the rules: No deodorant when fake tanning.

Jennifer Hawkins showed off her very tanned legs in this number.

Bradley Cooper forgot to tan his neck when he tanned his face.

You missed a spot Jesinta Campbell! Don’t forget to rub all of your tan in!

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Eating for a better workout

Four nutrition tips to help you get more from your workout.

Irrespective of whether you are a recreational runner or a super fit triathlete, everything you put into your mouth affects your performance. Sports dietician Caitlin Reid reveals four nutrition tips to help you get more from your workout.

Eat breakfast

By morning, most of the fuel you got from your dinner the night before is gone and blood sugar levels are low, which can make you feel sluggish. Eating before your workout can help you workout for harder and longer. If eating an hour before your workout, enjoy a light snack such as a piece of fruit, jam sandwich or muesli bar or a drink like a fruit smoothie. If you workout later in the day, eat a heartier low GI, higher protein breakfast (muesli or oats with low-fat milk or yoghurt and fruit or poached eggs on toast with an orange juice or glass of milk) to keep you powered up for your workout.

Stay hydrated

Make sure you are getting adequate water before, during and after your workout. Dehydration of just two per cent can reduce performance. To check your hydration status, look at the colour of your urine — a pale straw colour means you are well hydrated, while dark urine represents a dehydrated state. Start your workout in a well-hydrated state and drink 150-300ml of fluid every 15-20 minutes when exercising. Post exercise aim to drink 150 percent of your fluid loses. This means if you lose 1kg you need to drink 1.5L to rehydrate. Sports drinks are only necessary if you are exercising for more than an hour. Recreational athletes do not need them, unless they are exercising for extended periods of time in hot climates.

Time your meals

Be careful not to eat too much before you workout, as you can only use the food you have digested. Eating too much before you exercise can lead to stomach upsets such as diarrhoea or cramping. Work with the time you have prior to your exercise session. If you have two to three hours before your exercise session, enjoy a meal that is high in carbohydrate, moderate in protein and low in fat — a chicken salad sandwich or tuna pasta salad are perfect options. In you only have an hour, enjoy a smaller snack of a piece of fruit, muesli bar or tub of yoghurt.

Recover with food

Your recovery nutrition is the most important factor for how well you will perform at your next workout. For the best recovery post-exercise, follow the three R rule: refuel with carbohydrates, repair damaged muscles with protein and rehydrate with fluid. Eat for recovery and not as a reward for exercise. Good post-workout foods include glass of low-fat milk, trial mix with dried fruit and nuts, low-fat yoghurt or a regular meal with carbohydrates, protein and salad or vegetables.

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