DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON, TOYS CAN SEND THE WRONG MESSAGE TO GIRLS
Girls Inc. of San Antonio and KIPP Aspire Academy Partner to Discuss Holiday Ads and Hypersexualized Toys Targeted to Tween and Teen Girls
Girls Inc. of San Antonio and KIPP Aspire Academy Partner to Discuss Holiday Ads and Hypersexualized Toys Targeted to Tween and Teen Girls
SAN ANTONIO — December 6, 2011 — With Christmas right around the corner and shoppers spending their time in the traditional big box stores or cyberspace purchasing the coolest gift for their children; Girls Inc. of San Antonio, whose mission is to “inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold,” in partnership with KIPP Aspire Academy will be hosting a community town hall focused on hypersexualized toys and holiday ads targeted to tween and teen girls and how parents can make a healthy decision this Christmas that will have positive, long term effects on their daughters.
As a community action project, 10 seventh and eighth grade KIPPsters from KIPP Aspire Academy will be hosting their first community town hall focused on the need for change in the hypersexualized world of pop culture, advertisements and holidays gifts targeted to girls. The KIPPsters concluded their 10-week Girls Inc. “In Our Own Hands,” a subset of the nationally-accredited curriculum entitled, Girls Inc. Leadership and Community Action, which “builds leadership skills and creates lasting social change through community action projects.” During the course of 10 weeks, “the girls expressed their concern of being viewed as weak and vulnerable and how as a city we could change the culture,” stated Ginger Ulloa, Program Facilitator that implemented the program at KIPP Aspire Academy. “The transformation was remarkable; 10 girls found that they have the power to change the hypersexualized pop culture, they have a voice to create change and a community that supports them,” stated Ulloa.
According to the American Psychological Association, sexualization occurs when “individuals are regarded as sex objects and evaluated in terms of their physical characteristics and sexiness.” The topic of hypersexualization of toys and ads targeted to tween and teens girls is of great significance, as there is a consistent interest in girls to aspire to a sense of unattainable physical beauty and increased eating disorders. The town hall will feature prominent panelists, which include: Dr. Karen Bierman, Child Clinical Psychologist, Heather Hernandez, Blogger of Geekette Bits, Dr. Sarah Gould, Curator for the Institute of Texan Cultures and Sarah Szuminski, MySA.com Blogger on Women’s Issues. You can follow the discussion on Twitter with the hashtag #2sexy2soon. The event will be held on Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at KIPP Aspire Academy located at 735 Fredericksburg Road at 6:00 PM-7:00 PM. For more information, please contact Anais Biera Miracle, Communications Director at abiera@chshel.org or 210.212.2598.
About Girls Inc.
Girls Inc. delivers life-changing programs that inspire girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Research based curricula, delivered by trained professionals, equip girls to achieve academically; lead healthy and physically active lives; manage money; navigate media messages; and discover an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. The network of local Girls Inc. nonprofit organizations serves 150,000 girls ages 6 – 18 annually at over 1,400 sites in 350 cities across the United States and Canada. Learn more about our programs and advocacy at www.girlsinc.org.
