Pop Culture and Media Voices
We’ve found that these resources offer a broader perspective on issues that affect our girls as well as girls and women across the country and around the world. Whether you’re a muse looking for something interesting to discuss in your circle or if you’ve just come across this page in your quest for information, we hope you find this information helpful and enlightening. If you have suggestions for relevant additions, please contact info@wggschenectady.org.
Current Events Articles Grouped By Topic
While there are plenty of topics available in the WGGS training binders, tackling topics that the girls request or discussion current events to help girls become more aware of their place in the world is terrific, too. Here are some topics with supporting links to foster discussion.
- General Getting-to-Know-You Exercises
- I Am Someone Who. . . printable handout
- Glennon Doyle Melton’s Key Jar
- Gender Identity & Fashion
- Make-Up
- Body Image
- Quick video showing how a model shoot manipulates for unrealistic body image
- How Barbie Got Curvy: Inside the Radical Remake of an Icon
- Amy Schumer Responds to Critics Who Say She Shouldn’t Play Barbie
- Sarah Robles and Michelle Carter redefine ‘normal’ and hope young girls everywhere are listening
- Celebrities Talk About Beauty and Skin Color
- 13 Things Girls With a Healthy Body Image Don’t Do
- Coping With Stress
- Social Media
- Essena O’Neill–Instagram “star” who quit social media because it’s fake. Here’s an overview article. Here’s a long video of her explaining herself. . . from 5:40-9:05 you can get most of a summary with the images she’s talking about and missing any profanity.
Interesting Articles
- Teens’ Top Questions About Mental Health, Answered
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg Offers Advice to Young Women
- Ready to Ditch White Feminism? Here are 6 Black Feminist Concepts You Need to Know
- English Teacher’s Hip-Hop Curriculum Gets Students Writing
- A Female Artist Shares a Short Guide for Artists on How to De-Objectify Female Comic Book Characters
- Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood
- What This Teacher Learned from Visiting 20 Schools Effectively Supporting Kids of Color
- Why a Web of Connections–Not a Single Relationship–Should Surround Students
Songs
Popular songs are a great way to foster discussion and talk about our culture. These list of songs covers topics like self-image, relationship boundaries, and break-ups. It’s also packed with various girl power anthems. But songs with curses or references to substance use are not included (a little sad, because it leaves out some great ones!).
- Beautiful by Christina Aguilera
- BO$$ by Fifth Harmony
- Brave by Sara Bareilles
- Fight Song by Rachel Platten
- Girl Can’t Be Herself by Alicia Keys
- Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys
- Here by Alessia Cara
- Independent Women by Destiny’s Child
- I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
- Just Like Fire by P!nk
- Let ‘Em Say by Lizzo & Caroline Smith
- Me Too by Meghan Trainor
- Most Girls by Hailee Steinfeld
- My Skin by Lizzo
- New Rules by Dua Lipa
- No Excuses by Meghan Trainor
- People Like Us by Kelly Clarkson
- Perfect by P!nk (this is the clean version)
- Pretty Hurts by Beyoncé
- Respect by Aretha Franklin
- Rise by Katy Perry
- Rise Up by Andra Day
- Roar by Katy Perry
- Scars to Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara
- Since You Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson
- Sit Still, Look Pretty by Daya
- Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson
- Soy Yo by Bomba Estéreo (lyrics in English here)
- Superwoman by Alicia Keys
- Survivor by Destiny’s Child
- The Greatest by Sia
- Try by Colbie Caillat
- Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
- Who Says by Selena Gomez and The Scene
Recommended Videos
- Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches (3 minutes)
- Taylor Swift’s Clean Speech (3 1/2 minutes)
- 50/50 film about women, power, and mentorship (20 minutes)
- Bullying Experiment: Two Plants, one bullied, one praised (2 minutes)
- The Science of Character from LET IT RiPPLE (11 minutes)
Recommended Movies
These are movies that are interesting and relevant to our girls.
- Audrie & Daisy – documentary about two girls’ sexual assaults and the aftermath — currently available on Netflix
- The Empowerment Project – documentary highlighting positive and powerful women role models
- Finding Kind – documentary about “mean girls” and seeking to promote kindness
- Girl Rising – documentary portraying nine girls in the developing world
- Half the Sky – documentary about women and girls in 10 different countries encountering and fighting oppression
- The Hunting Ground – documentary about sexual assault on college campuses — currently available on Netflix
- Miss Representation – documentary about how mainstream media under-represents women in positions of power and influence — currently available on Netflix
- Queen of Katwe – recent Disney biopic of a girl from the slums of Africa who became a chess champion
- She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry – documentary about the birth of the women’s rights movement in the 1960s — currently available on Netflix
Online Feminist and Girl Power Resources
These tend to be national or international organizations. For local resources, see our list of partner organizations.
Online Resources for Sex and Health Education
- Center for Young Women’s Health focuses on women’s health issues including physical and emotional health, and it’s run by Boston Children’s Hospital.
- Go Ask Alice is a site run by Columbia University that covers all sorts of teen-related health issues including sex, drugs, alcohol, skin, diet issues, depression, etc.
- It’s Your Sex Life is an MTV website with information from favorites like Planned Parenthood and Laci Green. They have a “live chat” feature for questions.
- Laci Green’s YouTube channel. An entertaining sex educator and feminist who does weekly videos on current feminist/political issues.
- Planned Parenthood‘s site offers accurate information and resources.
- Scarleteen is a longstanding and very interactive website with bunches of Q & As as well as message boards and a live-ask-a-question feature. It’s not the 101 level stuff, so proceed accordingly.
- Sex, Etc. is a teen-written magazine/blog/website.