GRRRL Camp Blog

A production of Girls Reclaiming Revolutionary Recreational Learning!

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One of GRRRL's resolutions this year was to wear more eye black.  Here's why: 

During the girls sports after school program I have been running at an elementary school, I decided to teach the girls how to play flag football.  I also decided that this would require eye black.  I knew it would be fun, but I never could've predicted the immediate change in behavior I saw in the girls once they were wearing it.  

It started with groans from some of the girls when they realized we were going to play football.  The usual "I HATE football" was heard a few times from girls who had actually never been given the opportunity to try it.  Then I announced we were going to be wearing eye black, just like the professionals do.  There was some confusion because some of the girls thought I meant eyeliner.  I explained what it was for, ending with "plus it makes you look really tough."  Once it was on, there was a rush to the bathroom mirrors to see if I was right.  

Their re-entry into the gym was when the behavior changed.  Some of the most timid girls in the group were growling at each other and pretending to tackle.  I asked if I could take a picture of all of them, which prompted game faces, powerful stances, and none of the usual attempts to look like a model that often come out when you ask girls to be in a picture.  

Once we started playing, the girl who had proclaimed that she hated football suddenly wanted to be the (still growling) quarterback and ended up throwing multiple touchdown passes.  Then the eye black started to smear.  At first, worry was expressed, and requests that I fix it stopped the whole game.  Then I said, "No no, this is just what happens when you play hard.  Now it looks like you're REALLY tough."  As soon as one girl agreed with me, there was peer pressure to have yours smeared (on purpose or not).  

Despite the growling and unforeseen aggressive behavior, we maintained our teamwork dynamic, sometimes allowing a team to play beyond 4 downs so that they could score and everyone could celebrate with them.  Beyond being aggressive, the eye black helped the girls take on a confidence I had never seen them display.  There was 100% enthusiastic participation on eye black day. 

This enthusiasm spread through the halls as the girls went on to their next after school session, showing off their eye black to everyone they passed.  One girl even had the remnants of it on her face the next day because she refused to let anyone wash it off.  

If girls could come to school every day and tackle new challenges with the same confidence I saw that day, their school experiences would be vastly different.  They would be empowered to raise their hands more often, they would be willing to take risks in front of their classmates, and they would have the confidence to lead their classmates who needed help.  I wish I could greet them every day before school with my stick of eye black. Maybe I'll run it by the principal.  

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Top 5 Girl Empowerment moments of 2013!

1.  Malala Yousufzai was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize! 

2.  To promote gender equality, Swedish cinema adopted the Bechdel Test to insure the active presence of women on screen. 

3.  The conversation about gendered toys continued.  After pressure from Let Toys Be Toys, Toys R Us in the UK pledged to drop gender from its toy advertisements!  This GoldieBlox commercial got a lot of attention for portraying little girls aspiring to be engineers while they play.  

4.  Diana Nyad completed her Cuba to Florida swim at age 64, providing girls with another strong female athlete role model! 

5.  Jennifer Lawrence used her media power for good by suggested that it should be illegal to call someone fat on TV because of the damage it can cause to body image.  

Let us know if you have any to add!  Here's to many, many more (and with more diverse identities) in 2014! 

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Is strong the new skinny, or the new shape of disordered eating?

The movement towards "strong is the new skinny" seemed positive at first, and hopefully it actually is in a lot of cases.  However, it can also seem to be the new reason for disordered eating, or something resembling Exercise Bulimia. As the definition states, "Exercise Bulimia can sometimes go unnoticed because exercise is something that is seen as healthy but just because a person looks healthy does not mean they are. Compulsive exercisers will often schedule their lives around exercise just as those with eating disorders schedule their lives around eating (or not eating).  If strong is the new skinny (ie:  the new look girls and women must strive for at all costs in order for their bodies to be considered acceptable), then it's not a win for us at all. 

Things we can do to help our girls maintain a healthy body image: 

When you mention what you are going to eat before working out, mention how it will help you build strong muscles instead of how it will help you "slim down," even if that's what you think would be healthy for you. 

Avoid using the word "healthy" to actually mean "skinny."  They are not always one and the same, and if girls think they're only healthy if they have 2% body fat, they'll never feel good about their bodies. 

If you work out yourself or with your girl/s, make sure you mention that the benefits will be what your bodies can do, not how they will look after the workout.  For example, "We'll be able to ride our bikes further and faster if our legs are really strong," instead of something like, "We'll be healthier because our tummies will be smaller." 

If you talk about changing what you eat so you are healthier, explain that you are eating protein to build muscle, or broccoli because it has calcium for strong bones.  Avoid saying that you chose a salad because it has less fat or fewer calories than something fattening you might be used to eating.

Avoid the idea that if you skip one day of working out you are "lazy."  The feelings that is conveyed on many Pinterest boards about working out are dangerously close to the thinspiration sites that people with eating disorders create to "inspire" each other not to eat.  If you skip a day it might be because you have a different priority, that you don't feel well, or that you needed a different type of self care.  All of those are perfectly okay! 

       Of course we want our girls to be strong and healthy, but that doesn't exclusively look like the photo above.  When "strong" (specifically skinny and strong and still feminine) actually means "sexy," then we are still teaching our girls to value themselves for how they look and how much they are willing to sacrifice to keep their bodies in a certain shape.  Let's make sure their minds aren't tied up with thoughts of how much food/muscle/working out is acceptable.  Let's keep their minds free to focus on school, hobbies, healthy relationships, and dreams for the future.         

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We, as girl-empowering adults, are of course also human and experience moments when we feel more negative than positive about ourselves and how we look.  We grew up being told by the media that we must look and act and dress a certain way all the time in order to feel confident.  We are allowed to have moments in which we don't feel the greatest about a certain body part or hair day, even though our brains know way better than to judge ourselves that way. 

There are a few things that can almost always make us feel powerful and good in our own skin again, even in the midst of a body-shaming moment.  

1)  Think about what you would say to a little girl who complained of having the same body image issue you are experiencing in that moment.  I'm betting you would tell her that she is beautiful all the time, and that what makes her that way is how she acts, what she does, and how she treats other people.  She should not be comparing herself to photoshopped images of women in magazines, and neither should you!

2)  Think about what you would tell the little kid version of yourself in this situation, or even before this situation ever happens.  One of the GRRRL Camp goals is to prevent negative body image from creeping into the lives of girls by pointing out what their bodies and minds can do instead of emphasizing how they look.  Take care of the little kid self in you and remind yourself to value what your body is capable of accomplishing! 

3)  Bring in reinforcements!  Expose yourself to empowering videos, photos, and interviews of people who challenge what is making you feel like you are not as beautiful as you are.  Watch videos about how much time and work it takes to get women to look the way they do on TV and in magazines to dissolve the illusion that you should roll out of bed looking that way.  Some examples: 

This video showing the process of taking and editing photos of a model.  

This TEDx talk by a model is great.

Check out these awesome GIFs that show photos before and after photoshop.  

Remind yourself to think more like Tina Fey.  

Look at images of female athletes (not sexualized ones)!  Studies show that they help women and girls think about how powerful their bodies are.  

Make sure you are wearing comfortable clothes that don't pinch or grab at you in places that make you feel self-conscious.  

Do something active!  This will help you release endorphins so you'll feel happier while being reminded of what your body can do.  

Sometimes we need empowering reminders from others, and sometimes we can help ourselves in the process of empowering girls.  Let's make it a goal not to be so hard on ourselves!  

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GRRRL Camp Manifesta!

  Because girls deserve the same chances boys are given to be physically active and healthy.

  Because girls deserve to feel comfortable in, and proud of their bodies.

  Because girls deserve the space to inspire each other to fight beauty standards, attitudes, and assumptions the media has fed us all.

  Because networks of powerful girls who are self-confident and support each other can change the world.

  Because girls deserve to know and to write their own “her”stories.   

  Because no one knows what girls need better than their girl leader peers.

  Because how girls present themselves physically, from their clothes to their hair to the way they carry themselves, does not define them.

  Because girls need to spread the word about powerful female role models who get ignored or hidden from the world.

  Because empowering girls and increasing gender equity has benefits that extend throughout all facets of society and all walks of life.  

  Because girls must reject the sources that tells girls they’re not good at math, science, or technology.

  Because girls deserve to be self-confident in their bodies, on the field, in the classroom, and eventually in the workplace.  

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In honor of National Women and Girls in Sports Day, here are some photos of GRRRL Camp's Founder as a little girl, and the story of how sports changed her life for the better.  

As a little girl I was quiet and painfully shy.  I had a few very close friends, and they were the only ones I wanted to interact with at school.  When kids overheard me talking to them they would gasp and exclaim, “She speaks!”  I didn’t want to answer questions when I wasn’t completely certain my answer was correct and I didn’t ever want to volunteer to help the teacher in front of the class when she needed an assistant.  I mostly didn’t want anyone to even look at me.  My mom told me to smile so I could make more friends, but I was a very serious kid.  

By 5th grade I was dragged, kicking and screaming, to my first fastpitch softball practice.  I knew nothing about the game, and I remember hearing a dad point out that his daughter was the “shortstop.”  Having no idea that was the title of the position she was playing, I thought that was a nickname he’d invented just for her.  

I learned the basic mechanics of a good throw, how to catch correctly, and how to field ground balls.  Soon after, on our soggy springtime field, we were taught to slide.  We took our shoes off so as not to stab anyone with our cleats, and were told to run as hard as we could, bend one leg under the and stick one leg out, and essentially throw ourselves along the ground, forwards, and towards the base.  It was difficult to imagine how I was going to accomplish such a feat, and I soon discovered that the only way to do it was to completely trust yourself and to be unafraid.   Once I let go of my fear, sliding became, and still is, one of my favorite things to do.

That first sliding lesson informed who I was and what I was willing to try for years to come.  Once I figured out how to trust myself and push through any doubts I had because my team needed me, I suddenly had the skills to push through the same feelings for myself in many other settings.  I started standing up for myself at school, raising my hand and asking more questions in class, and I got better at meeting people.  Sports forced me to trust myself, whether it was stealing 2nd base or inventing a way to act like the team captain and get through a school presentation even when the original “play” didn’t work.  Sports taught me that I could do one more rep, whether it was with a weight in my hand, or working through a difficult personal situation.  I was able to set goals for myself and work towards them the same way I did on the field.  I gained the confidence to try other sports and activities I knew nothing about, from team handball to basketball, golf, and many types of dance classes.  

My sports experience also felt bigger than me in many ways.  The community I was handed because of sports, from my teammates to the fantastic coaches I was lucky to have, to the girls I ended up coaching, knew how to come together and support each other during a game, or on the bus ride home while listening to a difficult situation one of our teammates was navigating in her personal life.  If my confidence wavered in a high pressure situation, my high school softball coach always knew how to bring it right back by repeating, “Right person, right place.”  I was the right person to bring in the winning run, and I was exactly where I needed to be to make it happen.  I still repeat that to myself in my head when I’m stressed out as an adult,  as I picture winning the (game) job interview, speech, or grant.  Because of his great coaching example, being a coach and figuring out the perfect thing to say to a girl to help her find the confidence she needs on the field is an experience I value greatly.

I firmly believe that I would have grown into a very different person if I hadn't played sports.  Without the chance to be loud and muddy and sweaty and pumped up and fearless and pushed to my absolute, muscle-wobbling limits, I might be intimidated by those feelings now.  Instead I embrace them, push through them, and celebrate the resulting victories, or sit down and analyze my “game” so I can do better next time.  

  Here are some awesome athletes' stories, made by Nike "Voices."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1ighxU1vYw&feature=youtu.be

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Pre-Super Bowl post!  Topic:  Which sports seem acceptable for girls today?  

We know playing sports is beneficial for a multitude of reasons, especially for girls:  

1) Higher self-esteem

2)  Better grades

3)  Fewer eating disorders

4)  Lower rates of teen pregnancy

5)  Better physical health 

6)  Learning important life lessons, such as how to be on a team, how to lead, and how to set goals

Why is it, then, that there are still some sports that are considered socially acceptable for girls, and some that are not?  Parents are often happy to put their girls in sports and physical activities that seem more feminine, like a dance class, gymnastics, soccer, or volleyball.  However, more seemingly masculine sports like hockey, football, and rugby get far fewer girls signing up to play.  Whether this is because parents assume girls do not want to be aggressive, or whether girls are taught from birth that they shouldn't be aggressive, the fact is that girls are missing out on feeling certain kinds of physically powerful because of stereotypes.  

Further, physical activities that focus on appearance instead of solely on what your body can do, can actually be more harmful than helpful to girls. A ballet class that teaches girls not to eat because someone might have to lift them over their heads, or a gymnastics class that forces girls to be as small as they can be, can lead right to eating disorders at alarmingly young ages.  We love gymnastics and dance, and we also realize they need to be coached in a specifically empowering way in order to be beneficial.  

Sports that do not focus on being skinny or looking good allow girls (and boys) to feel how powerful their bodies can be, which boosts their self-esteem.  However, girls who choose to play traditionally masculine sports often seem to have to prove they are still feminine and can look good on and off the field.  One early example of this trend is women playing professional baseball during WWII, and having to do it in skirts!  Today we see female athletes being forced to wear bikinis to play beach volleyball, women wearing makeup while they play fastpitch softball, and the creation of disgusting things like the Lingerie Football League.  A few girls, those pictured above, have done brilliantly in football!  However, along with her invitation to the Super Bowl, Sam Gordon was presented with a designer dress to wear on Sunday.  She said she hardly ever wears dresses, so why would anyone assume she'd want to be in dresses all the time, even at a football game!?  Boys and men are not held to the same standard of needing to be conventionally attractive to be valued as athletes, and girls shouldn't be held to that either! 

Our hope is that girls are allowed to be themselves in whichever sports they choose, in whatever form they come.  Girls who truly do love playing sports and wearing dresses should go right ahead!  And girls who gravitate towards football and not wearing dresses should be valued just as they are, not forced to prove how well they can conform to the type of girl we are used to seeing.  There are many, many different ways to be a girl! 

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Hey, girl empowerment enthusiasts!  We've been making graphics like the one above for a little while now, and we'll be incorporating them into our blogs sometimes.  Each of them reminds all of us how to talk to, empower, teach, learn from, and be inspired by girls.  

The GRRRL Graphic shown above is a reminder that just because some girls like glitter and pink and wearing dresses doesn't mean they can't also like playing with trucks and legos, dressing up like pirates, doing science projects, and playing sports.  The concern we have at GRRRL Camp is that if girls are only ever handed one kind of toy (pink/princess/glitter/makeup/doll), they often take that as a message that math, sports, science, and the color blue are not for them.  "Girl toys" are often about appearing, while "boy toys" are often about doing.  Playing with video games, science kits, and trying out sports all teach you valuable life lessons, help you develop better spatial skills, provide outlets for healthy aggression, build confidence and self-esteem, and foster a lifelong love of movement.  We don't want our girls to miss out on these opportunities because we taught them that certain types of play aren't for them.  Kids should be able to explore all different type of play, and sometimes they need you to introduce them to a wide variety of these. 

Tips:

1)  Next time a girl in your life has a birthday, try finding a present for her that's not what everyone else probably got her because they assumed girls only like certain kinds of toys.

2)  If you're worried she won't like it because she's never had one/might think it's a "boy toy," spend some time with her and play with it together.  Kids as young as 3 often pick up messages like, "superheroes are for boys," and "princesses is for girls" at school or from TV.  However, sometimes all it takes is a conversation with a girl that lets her know there's no such thing as a "girl toy" or "boy toy" to empower her to try new things. 

3)  While admittedly not always as fun for kids in the moment, clothes can make good gifts too.  You might end up getting her her new favorite shirt, or one she'll remember as an adult because it was so thoughtful and unique.  Here are some awesome shirts that support all different interests girls might have (with links for where to find them) on our new Pinterest page!  

Thanks for reading, and keep up the good girl empowerment work!  

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Happy 2013 from GRRRL Camp!  Here are some ideas we had for healthy, inspiring, and empowering resolutions for you and the girls in your life.  

1.  Eat healthier.

An extremely common resolution is to lose weight, and maybe it's one of yours.  If this is for the purpose of being the healthiest you can be, we commend you!  There are ways to use this to inspire the girls around you to develop healthy eating habits and an appreciation for what their bodies can do, and we'd like to make sure those are the outcomes you see.  

Tips: 

      a)  Do not discuss calorie counting, how many pounds you want to lose, or how much better you'll feel when your Name That Body Part is smaller.  The girls (and boys, but statistically mostly girls) around you will pick up on it, and mimic what you to.  They will start thinking about what they eat in a very unhealthy way, and will start feeling good or bad about themselves based on how their body looks.  This creates the heartbreaking statistic that 80% of 10 year old girls have gone on a diet.  Girls need to focus on learning, growing, questioning, and playing, and really, so do YOU!  

      b)  When you alter your dietary habits, feel free to mention them to the girls around you, and be sure to say why.  For example, "I'm going to order the salad with chicken so I get enough protein to build strong muscles" instead of "I'm ordering a salad because there are fewer carbs and calories than a burger."  When girls understand how eating certain things can help or hurt their bodies, you're giving them helpful tools for life.  

      c)  Be active with the girls in your life.  If they learn from the start how good it feels to be active, they're likely to continue it as adults instead of seeing it as a weight loss-specific chore.  There are countless ways to be active from lifting weights to running to dancing.  Find something you both genuinely enjoy and start building long-term healthy habits! 

2.  Watch and support female athletes.

As our Powerful Poster Project pointed out, girls (and adult women) need to see images of female athletes doing their thing, not being sexualized or photoshopped.  In turn, we all identify with them and feel better about ourselves and what our bodies can do.  The atmosphere at women's sporting events tends to be invigorating and full of positivity around girls and their ability to be powerful and strong.  

Tips:

      a)  If you're already a sports fan, take your girls to watch your favorite sport or team!  They'll pick up on your enthusiasm and be more likely to try playing that sport in the future.  

     b)  If you don't know where to start, there is probably a local college or even high school nearby whose games you could attend.  There are also some cool broadcasts of women's sports on TV!  Some that we like:  The new National Women's Soccer League, The WNBA, The LPGA, and local coverage of college sports.  

      c)  If the girl in your life claims she is only into dance and not sports, take her anyway. Plenty of girls used to think this, the GRRRL Camp Founder included, and often it is only because they haven't had the proper positive, supportive, and fun sports intro.  There are countless physical, mental, emotional, and professional benefits from having played sports, and we don't want your girls to miss out! 

3.  Learn something new. 

Obviously this is a really broad resolution, but it is a good opportunity to learn something with the girl in your life that might not normally be offered to her.  For example, buy a kit or take a class that involves using tools you might not have used before.  Build something, learn something about woodworking, or paint a room of the house together.  Early introductions to things like these will make your girl less intimidated by learning them later on, and more independent with fun or necessary projects.  

4.  Read more books.

Instead of watching TV or reading magazines with unrealistic photoshopped images in them, read more!  A Mighty Girl is a great website with an incredible amount of empowering books in all kinds of categories.  You can read these to your girls, have your girls read them to you if they're old enough, or read some separately and then discuss them.  Bonding, learning, and empowerment all in one! 

We hope you enjoy our suggestions, and that your 2013 is your best year yet! 

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Top 10 Girl Empowerment Moments of 2012!

Starting from the most recent and heading backwards, here are what GRRRL Camp feels were some of the most empowering moments for girls in 2012.  

1.  The US Soccer Federation announced a new women's professional league!

2.  We elected a record number of women to the 113th Congress of the United States! 

3.  We celebrated the United Nations' first International Day of the Girl!  This special day is about highlighting, celebrating, discussing, and advancing girls' lives and opportunities across the globe. 

4.  We celebrated the first ever Malala Day, in honor of the brave Pakistani girl who was shot in the head because she advocates for girls' education.

5.  Sam Gordon, 9, turned heads in an all-boy pee-wee football league after scoring 35 touchdowns and running 1,911 yards in one year. Check out her highlight reel!

6.  Gabrielle Douglas became the first African American to win the gold medal in the individual gymnastics all-around competition!  

7.  A 15 year old Palestinian girl, Bashaer Othman, took office as the mayor of a West Bank town, becoming the youngest person ever to hold the position.  

8.  Brave came out, proving to be the most empowering girl-centered Pixar movie we've ever seen!  Of course, awesome Halloween costumes followed the movie's release.  

9.  Katherine Legge brought the first all-female team to the Indy 500!  

10.  Elena Myers, 19, became the first woman ever to win a professional race at Daytona!

What a year for girls!   What a great new list of role models!  Can't wait to see what 2013 brings.  

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A huge part of GRRRL Camp's mission is social justice, and a huge part of social justice is knowing our histories so as to not repeat them, to create a more respectful environment for all kinds of people today, and to speak up for those whose voices aren't given a prominent place in society.  It is incredibly important to pass stories on to our children so they can understand why things are the way they are, so they may empathize with people who are different from them, and so that they can think of ways to make the world better.  

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to discuss what really happened between the Native Americans and the settlers.  As Debbie Reese noted in Teaching Young Children About Native Americans, an ERIC Digest (May 1996), "Young children's conceptions of Native Americans often develop out of media portrayals and classroom role playing of the events of the First Thanksgiving."  Many of these images and experiences paint an inaccurate, and often harmful picture of Native Americans.  In fact, many children think they no longer exist at all, as their have been reduced to something used for Halloween costumes.  In 1898, declaring Thanksgiving a national holiday was a tool to try to create a shared national history and social unity in America, but instead it has stereotyped an entire people, and has covered up the betrayal and genocide they endured after their charity helped the pilgrims survive.  

After providing much of the food at the first thanksgiving, the Native Americans were soon told by the Puritan pilgrims that their religion and way of life were wrong.  The pilgrims began forgetting all of the help the Native Americans had provided them.  The intolerance greatly increased, and within a few years, the children of the people who had sat at the same table to eat were killing each other in what became King Phillip’s War.  There are still some members of the Wampanoag tribe in Massachusetts today, and here are their thoughts on Thanksgiving: "Today is a time of celebrating for you -- a time of looking back to the first days of white people in America. But it is not a time of celebrating for me. It is with a heavy heart that I look back upon what happened to my People. When the Pilgrims arrived, we, the Wampanoags, welcomed them with open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end. That before 50 years were to pass, the Wampanoag would no longer be a tribe. That we and other Indians living near the settlers would be killed by their guns or dead from diseases that we caught from them. Let us always remember, the Indian is and was just as human as the white people. Although our way of life is almost gone, we, the Wampanoags, still walk the lands of Massachusetts. What has happened cannot be changed. But today we work toward a better America, a more Indian America where people and nature once again are important."

You can read the whole story with loads of great background info here.   Here are some positive strategies to use when teaching about Thanksgiving, put together by Debbie Reese:

Provide knowledge about contemporary Native Americans to balance historical information. Teaching about Native Americans exclusively from a historical perspective may perpetuate the idea that they exist only in the past.

Prepare units about specific tribes rather than units about "Native Americans." For example, develop a unit about the people of Nambe Pueblo, the Turtle Mountain Chippewa, the Potawotami. Ideally, choose a tribe with a historical or contemporary role in the local community. Such a unit will provide children with culturally specific knowledge (pertaining to a single group) rather than overgeneralized stereotypes.

Locate and use books that show contemporary children of all colors engaged in their usual, daily activities (for example, playing basketball or riding bicycles) as well as traditional activities. Make the books easily accessible to children throughout the school year. Three excellent titles on the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico are Pueblo Storyteller by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith; Pueblo Boy: Growing Up In Two Worlds by Marcia Keegan; and Children of Clay by Rina Swentzell.

Cook ethnic foods but be careful not to imply that all members of a particular group eat a specific food.

Be specific about which tribes use particular items, when discussing cultural artifacts (such as clothing or housing) and traditional foods. The Plains tribes use feathered headdresses, for example, but not all other tribes use them.

Critique a Thanksgiving poster depicting the tradtitional, stereotyped Pilgrim and Indian figures, especially when teaching older elementary school children. Take care to select a picture that most children are familiar with, such as those shown on grocery bags or holiday greeting cards. Critically analyze the poster, noting the many tribes the artist has combined into one general image that fails to provide accurate information about any single tribe.

At Thanksgiving, shift the focus away from reenacting the First Thanksgiving. Instead, focus on items children can be thankful for in their own lives, and on their families' celebrations of Thanksgiving at home.

Thank you for reading, and for being an advocate for those whose voices do not have much of a place in mainstream society or our classrooms today.

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Great job, voters!  We elected a bunch more role model Senators for our girls!  Thanks to all of you who were great role models too, brought your girls/kids to vote with you, and voted with their best interests in mind.  

Show your girls this picture of who got elected!  Tell them it's important to have women's voices in political decisions, and that most of the country proved they think so too.  There are not enough images in the mainstream media of women doing much besides being sexy.  Thankfully now we have more chances to see female Senators speaking on TV, being valued for their brains instead of their looks, and contributing to important discussions that have real consequences for this country.  What a great election day it was!  

Check out our Facebook album of proud voters!  

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Barbies have been around since 1959, and probably almost every girl in the US has been handed one at some point.  I've also heard a lot of girls say they can be fun, but that doesn't mean they are the best, or even a good option at all if you're looking for engaging, empowering play for your daughter.  

Barbie started out as a teenage fashion model doll, which explains her unattainable shape. Although it seems that Barbie's inventor (a mom and co-founder of Mattel) seems to have had positive intentions, that's not the way Barbie's effect on girls has manifested.  Studies have shown that when girls, especially between the ages of 5 and 8 are exposed to Barbie, they see her as a role model, and end up with "lower body esteem and greater desire for a thinner body shape" than girls who were not exposed to Barbie.  Even though older girls grow out of seeing Barbie as something to emulate, the damage Barbie caused their self-esteem often remains, which can "contribute to an increased risk of disordered eating and weight cycling."  Despite Barbie's careers she's had over the years, she always has high heel-shaped feet and loads of makeup, sending the message that even if a woman is an athlete, a firefighter, or the president, she can only do it while being conventionally attractive to an extent that would kill her if she were a real human.  Not to mention the overtly detrimental "math class is tough" Barbie that was circulating for a while.  Ack!! 

So what can we do? 

Have discussions about Barbie with girls you know who play with them.  Point out things that are unrealistic about her: 

She can only either eat OR breathe, because her neck is too thin to house both a trachea and an esophagus.  

Her feet would be a size 3 if she were human. 

She would be unable to walk because of her unbalanced form. 

She only has room for one bone in both her arms and legs.

Her stomach is freakishly flat, unable, it would seem, to hold necessary organs under there. 

She is hairless.  

Her feet are constantly shaped like they're in high heels.  

While you're on the topic of what Barbie's body can't do, talk to girls about the wonderful things their bodies can do.  

As difficult as it can be, try to be willing to share some of your "flaws" with girls so that when they become conscious of how their bodies inevitably don't look how they're told they should look, they'll know that that's normal.  

If your girl is into dolls, look hard for ones that aren't Barbies.  Some that we love can be found here. They all play sports!  Find dolls that relate to her interests to show her you know she can love more than just fashion.  

Visit Any-Body for practical tips on media and body literacy discussions to have with girls, women, and everybody.   

Happy body-positive playing! 

[grrrlcamp-blog]

So, we know for sure that girls are NOT inherently worse at math.  Why, then, do women still make up only 24% of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) jobs?  We have one very important clue:

It's all about how we talk to girls.  

A recent study found that American mothers are twice as likely to discuss number concepts with their sons as they are with their daughters!  "For cardinal-numbers speech, in which a number is attached to an obvious noun reference-'Here are five raisins,' or 'Look at those two beds'-the difference was even larger.  Mothers were three times more likely to use such formulations while talking to boys."

The issue that arises:  One of the researchers, Alicia Chang, found that by grade school, "boys are very confident at math, and girls are saying boys are better at math. The issue isn't actual performance but perception of competence. We hypothesized that by the time you're in grade school, you might like math because your mother was more likely to talk to you about it when you were very, very young."

ACK!  It's subconscious!  It's coming from our own built-in ideas about gender that we've been taught since we were little!  So let's start being conscious.  It's odd that they only researched how mothers speak to their children, but I think the lessons applies to us all. So what can we do?  Consciously talk to your girls about math concepts!  (Of course we should teach all children about math, but the study suggests that we have the talking to boys about it down pat).

If your girl is very young, ask how many cheerios you just handed her, how many books you just read, or how many dogs she sees.  Bring up numbers. 

If your girl is a little older, have her help you calculate how much change you're going to get back when you pay the bill at a restaurant. 

Show her how to calculate her batting average or golf handicap after the game.

Bring up math-related stories in the news.  

Point out any female mathematicians and scientists you discovers so she can see those as possible careers. 

Act excited about math yourself, even if you're not.  Role model it! 

If you really really really hate math, find her a math mentor who is excited.  

Thank you for contributing to the well-being of girls, which really contributes to the well-being of the whole world! 

[grrrlcamp-blog]

Happy first annual International Day of the Girl!  It is a real challenge to write about this day because there are an overwhelming number of reasons we need it.  It is also sometimes difficult to discuss because to acknowledge that we need this day means acknowledging that there is a great deal of work to be done by, and on behalf of girls all over the world.  As Day of the Girl points out, "In order to tackle the issues that directly impact girls' lives, we have to identify them as barriers to our full participation in the world."  

First, the concerning part.  Issues currently disproportionately barring girls from full participation in the world: 

ILLITERACY 

SCHOOL DROPOUT 

FORCED MARRIAGE 

VIOLENCE 

BODY IMAGE

Now, the encouraging part:

There are enough people who are passionate about changing the status of girls that we now have a Day of the Girl!  

There are bunches of girl empowerment organizations, many of which we've listed here, that are making great strides.

There are beautiful documentaries like Half The Sky, which raise awareness and inspire action.

There are many celebrities who are now using their status to raise awareness for girls' issues.  

There are enough parents and family members who want to raise powerful, smart, strong girls that we were able to be supported in becoming an organization out of nothing more but a lot of ideas and an unbridled passion for girl empowerment.  

We are incredibly grateful for all the support we have received recently as an organization, and we are immensely excited and inspired by all the girl empowerment work being done around the world!  

[grrrlcamp-blog]

The topic of women and girls in politics is on our minds in light of last night's debate.  It's disturbing how difficult it is to find photos of little girls wanting to be/dressing like future presidents.  Of course, it's also difficult to find strong women running for president and actually being respected, taken seriously, and not being put down because of some part of their physical appearance.  Let's all make more/better images of strong, political ladies!

 BE the image/role model for the girl in your life.  Take her to vote with you and explain the importance of political participation, find and show her images of female politicians, watch intelligent female pundits, and help her create her own strong image and idea of herself and her potential.  Explain the issues that are being debated (in an age-appropriate way), and ask how she feels about them.  Thankfully, on October 16th we will all get to watch Candy Crowley, the first woman to moderate a Presidential debate in 20 years!  

Happy political participation, everyone! 

[grrrlcamp-blog]

'Tis the season to start brainstorming Halloween costumes!  Let's do it.  

I know many of you have felt the frustration illustrated in the cartoon above, and if you haven't, we have some ideas about it that might interest you.  Halloween costumes should be fun, creative, scary, hilarious, interesting, or empowering.  If you're a girl, however, most of what you can buy in the store hints at, or overtly displays your still under-developed sexuality for all to admire/comment on/gawk at/judge.  The obsession with sexualized costumes for little girls is disturbing, and serves to reinforce that girls' #1 goal should be to look pretty/sexy.  End of story.  Party City even claims that these are "Girls' CAREER Costumes!"  They're teaching our girls that careers to strive for are cheerleader times 3, sexy inmate, sexy cowgirl, sexy waitress, gypsy princess, and circus clown, to name a few.  Yes, there's a doctor costume on the page, but a boys is modeling it!  And yes, there's a boxing costume, but the only way it's acceptable is to make it baby pink.  We JUST had the olympics with women boxing for the first time!  Why not give us a USA boxing costume!? 

Now to our favorite question:  What can we do?  Help/allow your girls to add substance, inspiration, and creativity to their costumes! 

Make a costume with the girl in your life.  It can be done very cheaply with clothes or parts of costumes she may already have, and it can be some fun bonding time.

Create your own kind of superhero costume, and let her choose the type of power she'd like to have.  

Help her think of things she could be that women aren't doing yet/anymore, like playing professional baseball or serving as President. 

Figure out what she's really enjoyed studying in school and make it into a costume. 

Create a costume that looks like her favorite Olympian.

If you don't have time to make one, don't be afraid to stray from the "girls'" costumes and buy her a "boys'" one that supports an interest she has.  She might actually want to dress up like a ninja, a fire fighter, a detective, or a "brave crusader." 

If the girl in your life insists on being a princess, you can make this powerful too.  

Instead of letting the whole identity of her princess revolve around hair, makeup, and outfit, ask what her princess does, or what she's in charge of in the castle.  She could also be a bug princess, a warrior princess, a solar system princess, or a math princess.  Go with what her interests are!  

A new, cool, smart princess we just met this year is Merida from Brave! 

You might also suggest being a queen so that she inherently has power and authority.  

To be clear, we're not trying to avoid femininity here.  We're trying to avoid femininity paired with forced sexiness, paired with emptiness and a lack of creativity or inspiration.  Girls are worth so much more that that!