“A culture fixated on female thinness is not an obsession about female beauty, it is an obsession about female obedience. Dieting is the most potent political sedative in women’s history.” – Naomi Wolf
It’s no secret young women face incredible adversity within high schools across the nation. It’s shocking how many girls don’t feel beautiful, confident and supported.
Starting this year I wanted to start empowering women, there is no reason they should feel unsupported throughout their high school careers. Last Monday we kicked off our first Women Empowerment Night that focused on body image and beauty. It was tough -there were tears- but what happened in my basement was a powerful experience.
Drama Club, despite being a place for natural competition for roles, the spotlight, and attention; is a safe haven for us all. Women Empowerment nights are not meant to be anti-male, they are in place to facilitate conversations how we as women can empower each other. With the topic of body image and beauty we discussed how painfully aware we are each morning as we get dressed what it means to be “beautiful”.
The conversation then moved to women being objectified and how that only perpetuates negative self images. After mustering through lots of frustration we wrote what we don’t like about being a woman in today’s society and burned them. With all of our negative feelings sitting in a pile of ashes I introduced the theme of the year – Strong. Proud. Loud. I then had every girl write about what they were going to do to exemplify Strong, Proud, Loud for the rest of the school. Drama Club will celebrate females, not bring them down. We ARE the support for young women. We ARE the community.
For our next night we will be focusing on relationships, rejection, and abuse.
You all empower me, never be less than yourselves.
-Rainy Canyon
Act Out 