April 23, 2020: Updating with Visual Credit for gorgeous artwork at left and below (“Dive into your dreams” and “Listen to Girls”) created by Dr. Alison Aune BFA, Professor of Art Education at University of Minnesota, Duluth…
March 8, 2012 It’s International Women’s Day…
As I struggled to post Part Two on solutions-building to combat toxic messages being sent to women and girls in our pop culture as depicted in Pt 1, Domestic Violence, Grammys, Too Short of a Memory my email chimed with a welcome update, interrupting like a DJ with a record scratch (go ahead, click the sound effects for a multimedia blog experience)
It spun me onto a different track of celebration on a global scale, highlighting the 101st International Women’s Day through the lens of Global Women’s Leadership Network, (GWLN) where I was honored to be selected as a U.S. delegate for GWLN’s Women Leaders for the World incubator of changemakers and cyclebreakers in 2007.
It served as a breath of fresh air to be able to pump up the positive for International Women’s Day since we already know the top five reasons we should care and definitely know “Women Deliver”…so it prompted me to ask instead, “ How will YOU use media today to inspire a girl or empower a female in your world today?”
Colleagues at Hardy Girls Healthy Women listed some fun media literacy activities to engage girls with critical thinking to start peeling the onion on the various media and marketing messages they receive. Crystal at Achilles Effect reminds of the ethical imperative to “Make Girls Part of the Story” from presence to partnerships…
New Moon Girls and Pigtail Pals are using art as a conduit to paint a healthier representation of girls hopes and desires AND are also counter-marketing the recent ‘Am I Ugly’ rash of validation videos from questioning tweens with “You Are Beautiful” free e-cards…
Miss Representation.org is screening their fabulous film in Canada on the Oprah Winfrey Network …
And everywhere it seems a “Chain of Girl Goodness” is taking shape with rumblings of burying damaging self-worth from selling insecurities for profit, along with a backlash brewing to triumph over sexualization that’s undermining girls repeatedly.
Yep, the Part Two attempt at solutions for the Chris Brown and Rihanna domestic violence debacle can wait, this is a day to celebrate global advancements, rather than struggle with setbacks…
Time to march forward with a larger worldview of positive, firm conviction…
As GWLN reminds:
“On this day, the worldwide community comes together with a myriad of activities that speak to the diversity and breadth of accomplishments that women have made around the globe rising with one voice to speak our truth. Political rallies, networking events, musical concerts, informal get-together; such as, Join Me on the Bridge campaigns calling for peace, the 56th UN Women’s Commission on the Status of Women in New York, Million Women Rise in London rally to stop the violence for women and girls, the dedication of the Afghanistan Sahar Gul Net Cafe to celebrate one courageous 14 year old’s journey of survival are just a few of the many powerful and life affirming events to take place on this important day.”
Twitter is already abuzz using the #IWD hashtag for great International Women’s Day storytelling, event links, and personal journeys told through the lens of females worldwide.
Our own illustrious GWLN Exec. Dir. and head honcho Linda Alepin is speaking about women leaders and economic sustainability around the world as part of “Global Women’s Journey: A series on female Business Leaders Around the World” (joined by Katy Dickinson of Huawei Technologies on Middle East and North Africa, journalist Rebecca Fannin, author of Silicon Dragon, on women in China and Asian countries, Jen Shelby of Astia on Europe, Bridgette Sexton, Global Entrepreneurship Manager of Google talking about women in India and Africa) and fellow GWLN graduate Tara Agacayak (’06) will be conducting a Facebook video style “town hall” empowering Turkish girls convo about raising their ranking from 122 out of 135 in gender equality according to the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap report.
How will you make IWD count in your world? Need suggestions for the day’s events?
Check out the documentary Makers, the dynamic digital platform of “undeniably courageous” all-stars from Condi Rice to Ellen DeGeneres…See how the United Nations Peacekeeping operations use gender differences to promote positive forces of security and calm…Browse through our prior posts from Shaping Youth’s “All Things Girl” series of uplifting media and marketing positive picks linked below…Watch the videos below to get you started thinking about ‘The Girl Effect’ on a global scale…
It’s International Women’s Day. Share it. Blog it. Tweet it. But most of all…Live it!
In Peace.
All Things Girl Series on Shaping Youth
By Amy Jussel
Twitter: Women2Follow Dedicated to Inspiring Girls (need to add yourself to this list?)
Empowering Girls Instead of Consuming Them
Day of the Girl: GirlCaught Aims to Dial Down Disrespect
GWLN-Global Leaders for Justice: Using Media for Breakthroughs
GWLN-Mentoring: Masai, Midwives, Mobile Medical: Media That Matters
GWLN-Global Women’s Leadership Network/Young Leaders Worldwide
GWLN Delegate Carrie Ellett on Girls For a Change
The Girl Effect: A World Changing Media Message
Shaping Youth Honors Girls Rights Week
Dear Media, Please Change Your Channel of Influence (TEE party)
Positive Picks/Media & Marketing: Pigtail Pals, Redfining Girly
Backtalking Billboards: The Kite Sisters Take Back Beauty/Respect
Girl Caught! New Moon Girls Slams Sexualization!
Steamed About Sexualization? Healthy Media for Youth Act: Pt1
Healthy Youth Media Act: Can Change Be Legislated? Pt2
Teen Girls: Ready for a Rebel Yell to Spark Change?
Tips From the Trenches: Re-Imagining Youth Activism
Shaping Youth Joins New Moon Girls As Affiliate Partner
A Tee Party Kicks Off All Things Girl Week on Shaping Youth
Veteran’s Day: Women in the Military: MyVetwork
Interview with Girl Mogul Founder Andrea Stein
S.Y.’s Body Image Expert Dr. Robyn Silverman On Dove Forum
Motrin Mamas & Twitter Tirades; Marcom Blunders Redux
Twilight Teens, GirlChild Press, +Read Kiddo, Read!
GLTR Girls: Girls Learn to Ride (wakeboards etc)
Doctor Jenn Pajama Parties, Neuroscience
What’s On Tweens’ Minds: Meet Denise Restauri of AllyKatzz
Girls Prescription for Self-Worth: Respect Rx
Smart Girls at the Party.TV: SNL’s Amy Poehler
Wise Women & Alice 3.0: Geek Chic For Girls (pt.1)
BrainCake: Teen Girls Talk Tech & Worldchanging (pt.2)
DigiGirlz: Teen Girls Build Community Online & Off (pt.3)
She’s Geeky/Techno Leaders Converge
She’s Geeky/Vlogging with Ryanne Hodson at She’s Geeky
Media Moms, Engineers, Purple Tornadoes At She’s Geeky
She’s Geeky and Proud of It (My first Shaping Youth geekery)
This Valentine’s Day, Fall Madly In Love…with Yourself!
Rachel Simmons/SY Interview: Curse of the Good Girl
Rosalind Wiseman/SY Interview: YA Kidlit- Boys, Girls/Hazardous Mat
Media Spotlight: Rachel (&SY) Talks to Chicago Trib/Girlpower Gone Wrong
SY-Amy Jussel & RS in Chicago Trib (pdf) Using KidLit Girls’ Bullying Literacy
Reading the Right Message About Bullying (+ huge KidLit Resource List)
Media Musts to Wrap Up All Things Girl Week Part One
Seven Sensational Blogs About Girls: All Things Girl Week Part Two, Finale!
Resources from International Women’s Day 2012
– UN Women Secondary School Kit 2012
– Deloitte’s International Women’s Day Toolkit
– We are Equals posters, badges and stickers
– Celebrating Working Women International Women’s Day video
– Add your International Women’s Day twibbon
Dear Amy Jussel,
I am the artist, Alison Aune, who created the two paintings included on your March 8, 2012 post (Listen to Girls and Dive into Your Dreams). I am very pleased that you like them and included them but because they are copyrighted images and my name should appear. I have sent an email to New Moon magazine about this also. The situation of artists rights is important and seems in keeping with the content of your post!
Sincerely,
Alison
You are absolutely right! I always add visual credits at the end, but mistakenly thought this art was from New Moon’s editorial board (we have a partnership/creative commons arrangement) so I have placed attribution at the top in bold, cited it via link, and also tagged you under SEO search, so should be all set now. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. As a solo/self-funded labor of love, it’s hard to keep up with those that have slipped into the archives from years back, so thank YOU! Gorgeous work, btw.