“Sexting in Canada too!”
“Teen Sexual Promiscuity Linked to Children's TV Watching”
“The Myth of Rampant Teenage Promiscuity”
“Promiscuity: A Teenage Epidemic”
“Epidemic! The Growth Of Teenage Violence”
“Girls gone raunch”
“Ugly truth is we are building a crass society”
“Teen Sexual Promiscuity Linked to Children's TV Watching”
“The Myth of Rampant Teenage Promiscuity”
“Promiscuity: A Teenage Epidemic”
“Epidemic! The Growth Of Teenage Violence”
“Girls gone raunch”
“Ugly truth is we are building a crass society”
“The new generation gap: Outraged moms, trashy daughters. How did feminism come to this?”
Are girls’ attitudes and behaviours dictated by the representations of themselves in the media? Are they really mindless receptors doomed to mimic the behaviours of TV and video’s ‘trashy’ role-models? If the media industry depicts the ‘millenials generation’ in sexual, violent and degrading ways, "at odds with the advances made by the feminist movement of the 70’s", are we meant to assume that it is an accurate reflection of what’s actually going on in the world of today’s girls?
As we can see, media messages about girls and young women and what is really going on in their lives are at odds. Girls are portrayed as passive victims or responsible for everything from an increase in moral depravity to the decline of civilization.
Unsurprisingly, girls tell another story. Girls and young women are not passive consumers of the media: many critically read and actively subvert it. Many of us know young women who are committed, fired up, interested, and engaged.
When it comes to media and pop culture, girls can be experts. Think about it: as the target of most media messages, they are uniquely positioned to understand and criticize the popular culture they are so much a part of.
Some of what we’ve seen firsthand:
Calgary AB: young women hold a feminism/gender inequality trivia contest on a local radio station
Vancouver BC: UnLabel workshop: girls and women from racialized and Indigenous backgrounds explore their complex identities and create new items of clothing by symbolically cutting up the item of clothing and replacing it with material and style that represents their unique identity.
Quebec QC: Girls produce and host their own radio talk show which explores feminist issues, local events and showcases resources and positive female role models.
In our work with girls, we’ve found that young women are leading change in their communities – addressing social issues, taking back the media, educating peers about sexual health, media literacy and violence prevention. Girls Action supports their leadership and offers mentorship, seed funding and networks of support. Let’s celebrate and support girls and young women who speak up, ask questions and take action to tell a different story!
It is essential to validate and celebrate the success and social innovation of girls and young women who are already engaged. With access to resources and support, girls are connected, empowered, and better placed to make change in their own lives and their communities.
As leadership can be expressed in many different ways, supporting future leaders means recognizing critical thinkers, acknowledging girls with new ideas, valuing a diversity of leadership styles and skills, and supporting those who are on the cusp of speaking out. Also, connecting girls with mentors is a powerful way to light a spark for social change and positive intergenerational connections can have a meaningful impact.
All sorts of messages about being female bombard girls and young women. What’s important to remember is that there are tools we can use to sift through, understand, and deal with these conflicting messages, rather than just believing the hype.
In response to the August 16, 2010 edition of McLean's magazine's cover story "The New Generation Gap. Ourtraged moms, trashy daughters.. How did feminism come to this?"
Trashed -- and so what if we're trashy?
Definitely "trashed" in the recent Maclean's article that discussed the generation gap between mothers and daughters (and is so thoughtfully called Outraged Moms, Trashy Daughters). In an attempt to talk about the issues young women face today (hypersexualization, representation in the media and post-feminism), the author did present a few poignant moments and interesting points.
But it was pretty hard to start reading when I had to get past those opening photos. They aren't of outraged mothers -- but perhaps Maclean's meant them as an example of the "enlightened sexism" talked about in the article.
Unfortunately, the article interviewed what seems to be one type of Canadian girl: the daughters of university-educated, white, middle class women who decry their daughters' behaviour, while simultaneously recalling the golden days of their own youth:
Ahh, the seventies... that innocent decade when women needed men as co-signatories to get a mortgage, a loan and to open a bank account and only 4% of women earned more than men. Oh, for the days when hot pants were just hot pants -- not sensational or sexy -- and absolutely not for pleasing men.The 70s -- that puritanical era known for brains first and bottoms later.
This was just one of many examples of how the article positions its interviewees to create intergenerational rifts.
Of course sexism and feminism have changed over the past forty-odd years and while there certainly is still work to be done, what the article fails to mention at all are the tens of thousands of girls and young women across Canada who deal with real issues concerning their sexuality, how they are perceived by society and portrayed in the media, and how they fight to find a balance in their lives with the myriad of conflicting messages from the media, culture, families and friends.
Thank you Kristen for your positive reflections!
We do indeed need -- and have -- brilliant young women leading the way!
Poster un nouveau commentaire