Author of Queen Bees & Wannabees Is on a Mission to Build Tween Confidence

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosalind Wiseman and Dove® deodorant are teaming up to help foster communication between moms and daughters and build confidence in tween girls coast-to-coast.  Starting this week, Rosalind Wiseman will be turning the traditional book tour upside down by hosting the Girl World Tour, a nationwide mother/daughter workshop, presented by Dove deodorant and the website DontFretTheSweat.com.  The goal of this eight-city tour is to bring mothers and daughters together to learn how to effectively communicate with each other during the critical tween years so that the moms can continue to be a resource for advice and support, especially as their daughters make the transition into the difficult teen years.

"It's no secret that a child's confidence often drops off as they enter their teen years; however, the good news is that parents can make a difference," said Rosalind Wiseman, best-selling author and tween expert.  "In fact, the Unilever Tween Confidence Index found that there is a measurable relationship between tween confidence and the value they place on talks with their parents.  Which is why, I couldn't be happier to be partnering with Dove deodorant to help parents and girls through this difficult stage of life."

Geared toward moms and their tween daughters (8-12 years-old), the Girl World Tour events will offer fun-filled evenings of mother-daughter bonding with interactive discussions about confidence, friendships, sweat-inducing moments and common mother-daughter challenges.  During the two-hour workshop, Rosalind will also offer practical advice and tools to help set the foundation for open communication which is especially important as the daughters move from their tween to teen years and begin to face even more challenges and issues that could put a child's confidence at risk.

The Girl World Tour visited 10 cities earlier this year, reaching 1,500 mother-daughter pairs. With these additional events, Wiseman and Dove deodorant hope to reach another 3,000 mothers and daughters with the important message about having a dialogue and instilling confidence in tween girls.  

"Rosalind is an internationally-renowned tween expert who has made a difference in the lives of countless tween girls, so we are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with her again and help support her mission to empower young women," said Heather Mitchell, Senior Manager, Marketing Communications, Unilever Personal Care, Hair & Deodorants.  "We recognize that the transition from the tween to teen years can be difficult and stressful; that's why Unilever feels strongly about supporting initiatives like the Girl World Tour to help kids and parents navigate this stage of life."

The Girl World Tour is part of Unilever's efforts to provide parents with the tools they need to help build their tweens' confidence during these critical years.  The company has also aligned with community partners, assembled a panel of experts including Wiseman and developed the educational website, DontFretTheSweat.com. The website is filled with expert tips, tools, money-saving offers and real-life stories about how parents are communicating and transitioning their tweens into confident and self-reliant young adults.

Local bookstores in each city will sell tickets to the Girl World Tour for approx. $40 for a mother/daughter pair.  The ticket price includes Rosalind's books Queen Bees & Wannabes and her new tween novel Boys, Girls and Other Hazardous Materials as well as a gift bag from Dove deodorant and Unilever's Don't Fret the Sweat campaign.  The tour will visit the following cities:

• Phoenix, Ariz. – Sept. 20
• Salt Lake City, Utah – Sept. 22
• Tampa, Fla. – Oct. 6
• Baltimore, Md. – Oct. 18
• Pittsburgh, Pa. – Nov. 5
• Hartford, Conn. – Nov. 15
• Ridgewood, N.J. – Nov. 17
• Miami, Fla.  – Dec. 7

For more information about the Girl World Tour, visit http://RosalindWiseman.com, and for more information about Dove® deodorant, the Unilever Tween Confidence Index and articles about how to navigate the tricky tween years, visit www.DontFretTheSweat.com.

About Unilever North America

Unilever works to create a better future every day.  We help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.  Each day, around the world, consumers make 160 million decisions to purchase Unilever products. In the United States, Canada and the Greater Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico) the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Blue Band, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann's, Klondike, Knorr, Lipton, Omo, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America – generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2009. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com.

SOURCE Unilever North America