Brookline program teaches girls to change prevailing

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Morning Minutes, Sept. 22
Brookline program teaches girls
to change prevailing media
messages
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Left to right, MEDIAGIRLS participants Amita, Miriam, Maisie, Lucy and Elsie receive new journals to record their
bold ideas and opinions. C ontributed photo
By Jenna Fisher
[email protected]
Posted Sep. 11, 2014 @ 8:17 am
BROOKLINE
From music videos to girls asking strangers to tell
them if they are pretty or not on YouTube, the
media world can be a tricky place for a young
girl’s self-esteem.
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version 10.2.0 or greater is installed.
But girls in Brookline are challenging the
prevailing negative media message about women,
one blog post at a time.
Brookline resident Michelle Cove, an author, journalist and mother of a 10-year old daughter,
started MEDIAGIRLS, a non-profit writing program designed for girls aged 10 to 14 to not only take
a hard look at the media representation of women, but to do something about it.
"So much of the media right now is tearing down girls and women," said Cove. "And we talk about
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in class how drama and ‘bad girl’ behavior gets so much attention, and this is really about flipping
that and saying, ‘Look what this really compassionate woman did,’ or this feisty woman who just
got a law changed, or this athlete who just broke a new record, and really celebrating that. And
it’s a very different way to think in media, and the earlier they start, I think the better our chance
is to change media."
MEDIAGIRLS’ inaugural session just finished up eight weeks with eight girls. They met weekly at
Brookline Interactive Group (formerly Brookline Access TV) to watch and discuss and critique the
way women are often portrayed on TV, in film and in advertisements.
The girls in the program were enthusiastic about it.
"I think MEDIAGIRLS has really helped me … actually think about how women are portrayed," said
Lucy Humphrey, who said she found out about the group from her friend.
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"I really liked it. I liked how the girls participating weren’t just learning about the way media views
women, but they’re also doing something about it," said Lucy.
The program had the girls crafting thoughtful interviews and posting articles online and sharing it
through social media, challenging the way many women are portrayed.
"Every time they add a piece of content that’s empowering to girls and women, they are changing
the culture of media," said Cove.
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"I learned how to write an interview, and I learned about all the different things that are wrong
with the way media views women, and there [isn’t] such a thing as the perfect girl," said Lucy
who said she then spread the word to all her friends.
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Which is exactly what Cove was hoping for, she said, adding that the girls really got what the
class was trying to do and came to be skeptical of media portrayal of girls and women.
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"I didn’t know the media was so powerful," said Elsie Wessels-Mains, 11.
"I feel like I won’t be persuaded as much by ads or TV shows," said Elsie, "I’ll say, ‘Oh, I know
what they’re doing.’ I can detect that. I won’t be really caught into their little game."
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