You know when you see something and you are truly shocked, angered, incredulous and frustrated, all in equal measure? There’s a lot of adjectives there – what could have possibly set me off? I was on my way back from teaching a class of 7, 4 year old girls how to be strong and empowered against the grumpy Taekwon-do crocodile. We were working on their yellow star life skills badge: developing their independence and leadership skills. They had worked hard and shown real strength in their small, ever developing and easily malleable characters. After this class, I got stuck behind the school bus – the bus that these little 4 year olds may well be getting to school in 7 years time, and this is the image that set me off spluttering a stream of adjectives:
This is the bus that my 4 teenage girls get on. The bus that someone has felt it appropriate to plaster a highly sexualised and derogatory image of a woman on, with the words: Super Service.
The image makes me angry: the huge cleavaged, short skirted, high booted, sexually posturing female. Sending out a message to girls that this is normal. After all, what could be more normal than a bus? The image and the words: Super Service make me feel sick to the stomach. The connotations of that juxtaposition undermine everything I am teaching my daughters and my Taekwon-do students. It undermines the message that parents are trying to teach their sons about the difference between women on a screen and real women and what really disgusts me, is that it’s on the back of the school bus.
On the front of the Saturday Times magazine last week, there was another image that depressed me:
A woman draped over her footballer husband’s alpha male stance. His football boots hanging off her shoulder, symbolising the worst sort of possession. That possession that says: he’s mine, at a cost to my own self.
‘Super Service’ advertised at a cost to women. Disempowering with the worst sort of image of control. That control that says: this is at a cost to her own self.
In the news today, the head of a prominent girls’ school talks about how she would like to see girls having Shakespeare’s heroines as their role models, rather than reality stars such as Kim Kardashian. Shakespeare’s heroines are flawed, but strong. They have, she says: ‘the capacity in challenge and dilemma and pain, to love, to be vivacious, to be resourceful, to be resilient – they embody it so vividly, and that is a really powerful message.’
‘Vivacious’, ‘resourceful’ and ‘resilient’ are a stream of adjectives that I want my daughters and female students to associate with. Only last week, Caitlin Moran wrote in the Saturday Times: the two words all teenage girls should grow to love? ‘Jolly’ and ‘comfortable’. Not ‘on fleek’ or ‘hot’. ‘Comfort’, she says, ‘shows you at your best: confident. At ease. Finding your own things..not coquettish, “red-carpet ready” or heroin chic, but just…”comfortable”. “Jolly.”
I’ll leave you with a quote from my favourite female character in Shakespeare: the wonderfully strong, cynical and witty Beatrice from ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, in which she is telling her father why she doesn’t want to marry:
of wayward marl?
Let’s give girls the confidence to be strong, independent and comfortable in their own skins, not just at the service of others.
Great post! I too am distressed when I see these sexualized images. I never look at fashion/beauty magazines and I try not to have them in the house. The women are just not real – too much photoshop and makeup! Thanks for sharing this.
#StayClassyMama
I agree about the magazines. Thank you for your comments.
As a mother to two young daughters, it worries me how heavily loaded our culture is with sexualisation of women, and the kind of role models the youth of today seem to have. I really hope my two grow up appreciating the really important values in life.
Thanks for linking up to #coolmumclub….you should have followed that bus and painted some tracky bottoms on her in the dark of night 😉
Great idea! Liberate the poor woman with comfy trackies 🙂 Thank you for your comments.
What is that even advertising? I agree with so many of your points, especially as a mum of a little one and feel for both my son and daughter it’s important for them to have a healthy self-worth and appreciation and respect for their future partners. so, we’re one step closer to stamping out this perpetual cycle of over-sexualisation and low self-esteem. Yvadney x #CoolMumsClub
Well said! It’s advertising the bus company?! Thank you for commenting x
That bloody bus image is disgusting! I’m gobsmacked, what does it even advertise? I bet its one of those situations where they are so stupid they actually think they empowering women – by showing them as strong superheroes but in fact its the opposite. Don’t even get me started in footballers wives lol #stayclassymama
It’s advertising the bus company! I think you are spot on with your thoughts. Thank you for commenting.
What a ridiculous image to put on a bus – especially one that transports schoolgirls around. Caitlan Moran has got it spot on as ever. Super serious post with an important message. #ablogginggoodtime. x
I love Caitlin Moran. Thank you so much for your lovely comments x
Since becoming mum to two girls, I find myself become more and more aware of how the media portrays women and the bus and magazine cover would have annoyed me too. I wasn’t even sure what the advert on the bus was supposed to be for until I read your answer in the comments. Beatrice is a wonderful Shakespearean character and definitely a much better role model than Kim Kardashian! #coolmumclub
Thank you so much for your comments.
The over sexualised image of girls is something I have touched on and feel quite strongly about and these corporate giants/advertisers don’t help the scenario. Caitlin is my go to columnist too, she just nails it every time. #ablooginggoodtime
She certainly does. I love her insightful and witty style. Thanks so much for your comments.
As mother to a little girl it does always worry me how women even in todays society are still being portrayed. I will do everything in my power to help her become a strong independent woman
Thanks for linking to #ablogginggoodtime
I do wonder just how much things have moved on. There is still progress to be made.