Description: A quick survey of popular American media reveals a minefield loaded with exaggerated and downright unrealistic images of males and females in our society.
Female stereotypes primarily pressure girls and women to “look” a certain way, resulting in negatives consequences for females including negative body image and loss of self-esteem, eating disorders, job discrimination, domestic violence, and ***.
Equally as dangerous, male stereotypes send unhealthy messages to boys and men to “do” or “act” in certain ways. Such pressure to “act like a man,” reinforces in males that they should be tough, in control and dominant, leading to such problems as emotional violence against self, lack of respect for and aggression against women, commission of crime and violence, and even male discrimination in the legal system.
Using excerpts from film, radio, the Internet, television, magazines and newspapers, this workshop examines various ways in which males and females are portrayed in American popular media.
The purpose of this workshop is to give male and female students an opportunity to try to reach beyond gender differences to find what they have in common as students, young people, family members, citizens and human beings. The aim is to make these students more respectful and tolerant of one another and more secure in their own gender identity.
Session one of the workshop will consist of a presentation of source material in Powerpoint format, a review of pre-workshop study articles and open dialogue among the students. In session two, the artist/facilitator (Faye Kendall) will guide students through a visual art project, such as a collage, addressing issues brought up in the first session. In the third session, each school group will anaylse its art project during a videoconference presentation and a summary discussion involving all students will follow.
More information/registration: http://www.magpi.net/programs/myx-gender.html
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Heather Weisse
MAGPI, Applications Coordinator
3401 Walnut Street, Suite 233A
Philadelphia, PA 19104
email: hweisse@magpi.net
phone: 215-573-6417