Welcome to GIRL MUSEUM's Blogspace

The Legacy of the Iron Lady

2012-02-03T14:16:00.000-05:00

British Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher celebrates her first general election

victory in Flood St, Chelsea, London.

(Central Press/Getty Images)

Having seen trailers for the film The Iron Lady, I can see why Meryl Streep won a Golden Globe for her performance as Margaret Thatcher and has been nominated for an Oscar—the accent and mannerisms are spot on. The film has given people the chance to reflect on the Thatcher era and some of her achievements as the UK’s first and only female Prime Minister. As a minister she had already brought in controversial policies, including stopping free milk in primary schools for children over 7 years old, giving her the nickname ‘Thatcher the milk snatcher.’

As Prime minister from 1979–1990, she divided British society by privatising many state owned industries and closing coal mines which resulted in a year of strikes by two thirds of Britain’s miners. Margaret Thatcher reduced spending on social housing and higher education and took a hard line approach to politics, which was arguably all the more important as she was a woman who needed to prove she was in charge.

A role that holds such power is rarely taken on by a woman and requires, I imagine, nerves of steel and a lot of determination and ambition. Whether this idea that for a woman to be in charge she has to hold a steely persona has resulted from women’s own insecurities or whether it is an attempt to imitate men in power is unclear, but Margaret Thatcher certainly gave the impression of an ‘Iron Lady’ and many people took a personal dislike to her.

However, the persona she portrayed worked for her role, people followed her and she was taken seriously as a leader. Thanks to a victory in the Falklands and a recovering economy she was voted in for three terms, and her policies have continued to influence lives, including allowing people to buy their own council-owned homes.

The film brings to the surface women in high level politics and thankfully it is no longer such a fantasy as it may have once been before Margaret Thatcher’s terms in office. With Australia having a female Prime Minister, Germany with a woman at the helm and even America getting closer to having their own first female President, ‘women in politics’ is becoming more accepted. Even so, politics is still very much male dominated and not an easy world for a woman to enter, but let’s hope that the release of the film at the very least inspires more women to try.

If you’ve seen the film, do you believe it does the Iron Lady justice?

For more information on Margaret Thatcher you can go here or here.

-Emma Hatherall

Junior Girl

Girl Museum Inc.

'Grubs Up' and other winners

2012-02-02T10:05:00.000-05:00

'Grubs Up' by Georgia Harding, aged 12

RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2011 Winner of 12-15 years category

On 16 December 2011 at the Tower of London, the RSPCA announced the winners of their annual contest, which seeks out the photographic talents of individuals 18 and under for the Young Photographer Awards. The aim of the annual contest is to “encourage young people's interest in photography and show their appreciation and understanding of the animals around them.” The categories available to participants include Under 12s, 12-15 year olds, 16-18 year olds, Pet Personalities, Portfolio, Making Life Better, Garden Wildlife and People’s Choice. An overall winner is also chosen from the winners of the individual categories.

While there were many exceptional entries, it was great to see so many girls at the top. Twelve year old Georgia Harding won the 12-15 years category with her photo entitled ‘Grubs Up.’ Sophie Bramall, aged 10, won the under 12 years category with her photo ‘Black-tailed Godwit in the Mist,’ while sixteen year old Amy Wilton won the Pet Personality category with her photo entitled ‘Running Whippets.’ Jo Cock, aged 15, won the Making Life Better category with her photo entitled ‘Happy.’ And these were just some of the winners! Girls also received runners-up and highly commended awards in each category. A couple of my favourites that won the highly commended honours include Emily Biggs “Conquering a Blustery Peak” and Hemma Jari “Running through the Waves” photos. They are too cute! The winners' gallery can be viewed here.

In looking through the winners’ gallery 2011, there truly is some amazing young talent out there. And what an extraordinary opportunity for these individuals to have such a platform in which to share their beautiful photos! It is a commendable outlet for young aspiring artists that the RSPCA has facilitated as well as a wonderful opportunity to showcase animals and highlight a continued awareness for animal well-being, love, and respect. Have a look for yourself. You won’t be disappointed!

-Marisa Lindholm

Junior Girl

Girl Museum Inc.

Lisbeth Salander: A new breed of heroine?

2012-01-31T08:55:00.000-05:00

Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander

Baldur Bragason/Columbia TriStar Marketing Group, Inc.

The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson is, without doubt, a publishing phenomenon. Initially a word-of-mouth success, sales had reached an incredible 65 million by December 2011. With successful Swedish films made of all three novels, and a Hollywood update of the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth Salander’s story is firmly embedded in our global public consciousness. She is one of a new breed of anti-heroines taking the entertainment industry by storm. Others of this genre include Kristen Stewart as a sword-wielding Snow White, former MMA fighter Gina Carano as a formidable solider of fortune in Haywire, and Pixar’s forthcoming Boadicea-alike Princess Merida in Brave.

It has been suggested that Salander is not a feminist, perhaps most notably by the latest adaptation’s star Rooney Mara. However, I would disagree. Salander is undoubtedly fearful of men, but who can blame her, considering her past experiences. The character’s backstory is particularly brutal. Forced into state care after retaliating against an abusive father, the young Salander was repeatedly failed by institutions and individuals intended to protect her, resulting in her losing legal autonomy and being placed under guardianship. As an adult, she is brutally raped by her guardian Nils Bjurman and determines to exact justice.

Lisbeth is tough, but then she needs to be. Far from indiscriminately hating men, she opens up to and comes to trust several important male figures, including journalist Mikael Blomkvist, her boss Dragan Armansky, and her previous guardian Holgar Palmgren. She is resourceful, loyal and incredibly clever, yet is judged harshly by society, based largely on her appearance and sexual preferences. Without wishing to spoil the plot for anyone yet to experience these incredible stories, I wept with triumph when some recognition finally comes her way. What’s maybe most exciting about Salander is her polar opposition to tradition female protagonists. She doesn’t need to be rescued by the male lead (in fact, she’s often doing the rescuing), and unlike Lara Croft, or Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, she’s not running around wearing tiny shorts or skintight PVC. She’s fighting for her own rights, and the rights of girls like her, and doing it with skill and bravery; she’s real, and you can’t help but root for her to the very end.

Yes, Salander is flawed. But isn’t everyone? Lisbeth’s popularity, and Mara’s recent Oscar nomination, may be a sign that pop-culture heroines are starting to get serious. I suggest that this could only be a good thing. What do you think?

You can read more interesting discussions regarding Salander and feminism here and here.

-Chloe Grant

Junior Girl

Girl Museum Inc.

Why not publicise women’s sports?

2012-01-30T08:27:00.000-05:00

Rebecca Adlington celebrates her gold medal win in the 800m freestyle.

Photograph: Barbara Walton/EPA

Last month, I and many others were shocked to find that the BBC 2011 British Sports Personality of the Year award did not include any women on its shortlist. It hadn’t been a bad year for British women in sports—Gymnast Beth Tweddle won her third successive European title and Rebecca Adlington claimed gold in the swimming world championships then was rewarded with various awards for sportswoman of the year—yet this was not enough to shortlist for the main sporting accolade. Perhaps the reason for this (or excuse) was that 2011 was not an Olympic year. Women’s sports were not publicised and so less people would have been aware of their achievements. It is not only swimmers or gymnasts that suffer; ask people to name women cricketers, golfers, or football (soccer) players and many would struggle.

Why is it though that women’s sports are not publicised? Men’s sports get a vast amount of TV coverage. We have the football and rugby world cups, cricket, golf, even cycling gets good air time, but when we look for the same sports with women competing, they are nowhere to be seen. It is not that women don’t compete at a world class level. England alone has one of the world’s best women’s cricket teams, some fantastic football (soccer) players and a formidable women’s rugby team, but TV companies and sponsors believe the audiences for these sports are not there. This is starting to have a knock on effect for women’s sport at lower levels. The Women's Sports and Fitness Foundation (WSFF) tell us that “young women leave school half as active as young men.”

Men are frequently reminded that they can make a living from sport whereas for many women it doesn’t even cross their mind. Not only has the pay for women sports people been considerably less (only recently did Wimbledon decide to offer the same prize money for their male and female tennis stars) but they have far less investment due to lack of publicity. The audiences aren’t there at the moment because neither is the marketing.

-Emma Hatherall

Junior Girl

Girl Museum Inc.

Legos for girls: Equality or not?

2012-01-27T08:43:00.000-05:00

The "Butterfly Beauty Shop" is part of the Lego Friends range.

http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/Butterfly-Beauty-Shop-3187

Lego has brought out a new range, aimed specifically at girls. It centres around five girl dolls, and has sets such as a beauty salon and a bakery. Lego argue that it is a response to losing sales to girls because of their Batman and Star Wars oriented products. That is all very well, but the products do not seem quite equal. Professor Becky Francis, who has expertise in childrens' development and is director of education at the Royal Society of Arts, has argued that they are much simpler, and do not take as much skill as the toys for boys. Professor Francis goes on to say that Lego have missed an opportunity to promote engineering and practical skills in girls. The sets seem to assume that all girls are only keen on fashion and beauty, and are not capable of (or do not wish to) building from scratch.

I feel this is somewhat negative. As a girl I had Lego sets which required imagination and a basic understanding of building things, and I really enjoyed them. What’s more, I think these sets challenge children (boys and girls) and help them develop their creative and practical skills, and gain a sense of real achievement from seeing their idea materialise in front of them. I am not at all sure that these sets will have the same affect.

One father goes further in his criticisms. He believes that products such as these that are clearly oriented at girls give girls a “limited notion of their gender,” suggesting that they ‘should’ be interested in beauty and fashion, and ‘should not’ care much about the building aspects. I am inclined to agree with this father. Young girls need to be taught that they can be anything and achieve anything, and that beauty and fashion are all very well, but they do not make you a better (or happier) person. Girls’ toymakers have a responsibility to produce products that do not stereotype, or girls will grow up believing in the stereotypes about them, a process which can be damaging to happiness and health. There are enough girl’s toys that promote this view (Barbie, for example?), and Lego could have done something really different.

I would suggest that Lego think again. I have nothing against toys that are ‘for girls’ in general, but why focus on beauty and fashion, especially in a toy aimed at such a young age group? And why make them so much simpler than the boy’s versions? Why not make a whole range of models that are equally difficult and focus on a variety of topics? Models based on a zoo, or other animal related things, would be likely to sell to girls (and probably some boys) without giving them the potentially damaging idea that they must be concerned with their looks from a very young age.

-Ceri Phillipps

Junior Girl

Girl Museum Inc.

Transgender Girl in the running for Miss England

2012-01-25T12:16:00.001-05:00

New life: Jackie Green was the youngest person in Britain to undergo a sex change two years ago

Image: rossparry.co.uk/syndication

An inspirational teenager from Leeds, Jackie Green, is hoping to become the first transsexual woman to win the Miss England crown. Jackie, who’s 18, was born as Jack, but always knew she should have been a girl: she therefore took the brave decision to have gender reassignment surgery two years ago, becoming the youngest person in the UK to receive a full sex change. Although her parents supported her choices, Jackie suffered severe bullying when she was younger, which makes her decision to compete in such a public arena all the more admirable.

Of course, a beauty contest such as ‘Miss England’ may not be to everyone’s tastes, and issues of female objectification remain as prevalent in society as ever. However, the contest is clearly an empowering platform for Jackie, publicly highlighting and strengthening her identity as a girl. Hopefully her experiences may inspire confidence in other young women who don’t feel they meet traditional ‘beauty queen’ criteria. It’s also great to see a prominent organisation showing acceptance and understanding of the transgender community, especially when compared to the controversy surrounding Bobby Montoya and her desire to join the Girl Scouts.

According to the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper, Jackie’s currently leading her competition heat; let’s hope she gets to the final!

You can read more about Jackie here, and learn about the Miss England contest here.

-Chloe Grant

Junior Girl

Girl Museum Inc.

Beautiful and Bald

2012-01-23T13:28:00.000-05:00

Beautiful and Bald Barbie Facebook Campaign

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=215292465223418&set=a.207040032715328.52180.207039082715423&type=3&theater

In December, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Girl Museum highlighted the work of groups helping to boost the confidence of girls coping with cancer and the trauma of chemotherapy treatments. Now 2012 sees the launch of a campaign for the creation of a “Beautiful and Bald Barbie” to help girls come to terms with their hair loss. Launched on Facebook, the campaign was inspired by the one-off bald Barbie dolls created by manufacturer Mattel for two young girls suffering from cancer.

Not everyone is 100% behind the campaign, however. Andrew Becker, a director of media relations for the American Cancer Society, caused a stir when on his blog he suggested that a mass produced Bald Barbie could “do more harm than good for kids and parents.” He further explained his fears that children whose lives were untouched by cancer could “end up being terrorized by the prospect of it in a far outsized proportion to their realistic chances”. Following a flood of criticism, Becker has since apologised and withdrawn his blog posting.

Barbie herself is no stranger to controversy. Since her creation in the 1950’s, she has attracted criticism from feminist groups for her ditzy persona and unnatural figure. More modern incarnations have angered parents with risqué costumes and punky tattoos, and a recent “Barbie makeover” campaign aimed to highlight the lack diversity displayed by those dolls representing different ethnic groups. Nevertheless, Barbie is well established as a cultural icon and is greatly loved by little girls the world over.

With this popularity, Barbie has a great influence over children and their perception of beauty. Yes, there are negatives, and I’d be the first to welcome a campaign for “plus-size Barbie” or even just “natural and achievable proportions Barbie.” Her image does little to help girls’ body confidence, but what if that can change? If girls can see such an icon of beauty without hair, won’t that help them to have confidence when coming through their own treatment? Wouldn’t allowing a little girl to pick out Barbie’s wigs and headscarves to match her own make her feel normal and fashionable? And as for Becker’s fears that children would be afraid when faced with Bald Barbie, I argue the contrary: surely this would make them more aware and accepting of those who have suffered hair-loss due to illness?

If you agree, sign the petition and urge Mattel to make Barbie bald and beautiful.

-Vhari Finch

Junior Girl

Girl Museum Inc.

Exhibition Review: Holding Up Half the Sky at the Skirball

2012-01-20T09:14:00.002-05:00

Exhibition Space