That sounds lovely - and creating what I consider to be our own bubble is a big part of how I survive, in part, because I don't really have a lot of hope for the future. A full 50% of young men in the UK identify as anti-feminist. I'm guessing that the numbers were lower than that in 1990. I don't know what the stats are for the US, but it doesn't seem very heartening. Honestly, I think our only hope is to have some sort of major catastrophe that forces people to come together and put BS differences aside in order to survive. Don't particularly want to have to go through that to get there though...
The female superhero movies are a step in the right direction, but it's a small step. With only a few exceptions they portray women who are essentially male characters with boobs in spandex.
There’s nothing wrong with women being able to kick ass and take names. In fact, there’s nothing wrong with men being able to do that either. There are some situations where that is exactly what is needed — to stay safe, to keep others safe, to protect something of value, to prevent a wrong from being perpetrated, etc.
The problem arises when that is the only way that power is ever represented or manifested. We would all do better as a society to learn how to cultivate and exert power in ways that are less heavy-handed and violent. The problem is that not only are these traits often looked at as weak, but they are quite often less tangible or quantifiable — another nod to valuing the world through a masculinized lens — what can you achieve, earn, win or conquer, rather who can you be — no matter if you are male, female or other?
There have been a few shows for kids that move in the right direction as well, but in general children's TV and books are still teaching very gendered messages that disempower girls.
The United Nations education agency Unesco says that messages undermining girls' confidence and expectations of life are so prevalent in educational materials worldwide that they present a “hidden obstacle” to gender equality. In their 2016 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report, they noted that “women are often portrayed in domestic tasks, from cooking and washing to caring for the children and elderly.”
In many cases, women are also portrayed as passive and submissive. “
There was one textbook about scientists I particularly remember, and the only woman in it was Marie Curie,” says Prof Blumberg.“
But was she shown discovering radium? No, she was timidly peeking over her husband’s shoulder as he spoke to somebody else, a man who looked elegant and distinguished.”
From what I could find on the Gillette ad, it drew some backlash and sales did go down, but only about 3%. The company said they considered that worth starting a conversation and that they were satisfied. Some other marketing experts have deemed it a waste of time and money.
