The women of the world festival is a three day event, that celebrates the achievements of women and girls everywhere, champions gender equality and investigates the obstacles that prevent some women from reaching their full potential. It takes place at the Southbank centre in London, and consists of a mixture of workshops, performances and talks. It is an opportunity to inspire young women, by showing them how far we have come and how far we will surely go.
A group of sixth formers from Gumley House school took part in the event, and then presented one element of it to the year 10 and 11 girls at their school. They chose to discuss the portrayal of women in the media, as it is still such a major issue in the world. The students were shown the covers of magazines with men on them first, and were able to see that they were made to look powerful and smart. Then they were shown the covers of magazines with women on the front, and a drastic change could be clearly seen. All of the women on the covers of the magazines were presented in a sexual way, and their looks, rather than their careers, were often the main subject of the article written about them.
Why is it that women are so often portrayed in this way? They are incredibly powerful beings, just as men are, and are capable of extraordinary things. For example, Burmese politician Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest for 15 years for her beliefs, and was finally released following a national campaign. She was awarded a nobel peace prize in 1991. Another incredible woman was Emmeline Pankhurst. She fought on behalf of women all over England when trying to gain the vote. She was incredibly brave and knew in her heart that we are all equal, despite our gender, race, religion, sexuality etc. It is so important in this day and age that we recognise the injustices taking place around us and that we take action in order to fix them.
So, next time you take your education, or your ability to vote, for granted, remember the women who fought so bravely so that you could have them, and be inspired. Look for the many injustices still thriving in our world and do all that you can to stop them. You, too, are capable of wonderful things, so don't waste your talents.
