A few months back a youth work colleague voiced concern about the young women she works with listening to a rising new female rapper, Nicki Minaj. She felt that the lyrics and the image were over-sexualised and liable to provide a potentially poor role model for the young people in the youth project with whom she worked. This also followed a YouTube sensation of two very small British girls, Sophie-Grace and Rosie belting out Minaj’s tune ‘SuperBass’ which was proudly recorded by their mothers. The YouTube hit enabled the young girls to have their precocious 15 minutes of fame as they sat next to US chat show host, Ellen DeGeneres and performed with their idol, Nicki on the Ellen talk show. Continue reading “‘Hello my little Barbies’: Nicki Minaj and Masquerade”
“I’m just a girl who just says no”: Guides to Keeping Your Legs crossed- Abstinence Only Sex Education for Girls
Whilst I am always happy to see critical discussion on the role of sex and relationship education in schools and youth centres, worryingly, this week saw a new amendment narrowly passed in the UK Commons. Continue reading ““I’m just a girl who just says no”: Guides to Keeping Your Legs crossed- Abstinence Only Sex Education for Girls”
Hair, Beauty and Child Care: Gender and Careers Education for Girls
Whilst working in youth projects over the past decade or so, I have often noticed the predominance of highly gendered career guidance for young people. Too often, when discussing what career options girls were considering, the ‘holy trinity’ of beauty, hair and child care cropped up repeatedly in young women’s visions for their future and their Year 10 work placements. Such options were further cemented in areas such as ‘alternative’ education provision, or vocationally orientated training aimed at ‘NEETS’ (Not in Education, Employment and Training), that seemed to guide working class, young women into courses and apprenticeships in beauty or child care, and their brothers into motor mechanics and bricklaying. Continue reading “Hair, Beauty and Child Care: Gender and Careers Education for Girls”
Feminism trumps egalitarianism: the twisted logic of David Willetts
Debates around inequality and social mobility continue to rage in the UK. The Coalition Universities Minister, David Willett’s has attacked feminism as one of the main reasons that social mobility in the UK has stalled. In comments reported in the Daily Telegraph, Mr. Willetts said:
“The feminist revolution in its first round effects was probably the key factor. Feminism trumped egalitarianism. It is not that I am against feminism, it’s just that is probably the single biggest factor.” Continue reading “Feminism trumps egalitarianism: the twisted logic of David Willetts”