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“You’ve
Come a Long Way Baby”-- Or Have
We? |
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Mary Hopkins
I.S. 195 Roberto Clemente
Mhopkins3@schools.nyc.gov
INTRODUCTION
“You’ve
come a long way, baby” was a slogan used in a Virginia Slims advertising campaign
in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was designed to coincide with the
increased activism and visibility of the feminist, or women’s liberation,
movement. The fish and bicycle logo also dates from that period and expresses
the belief that women are self-sufficient and not dependent on men.
The
first wave of feminism took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries, as “suffragettes” fought to obtain the right to vote (or suffrage)
for women and secure other political rights.
Famous fighters for women’s rights from that period include Susan B.
Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
The
second wave of feminism, the “Women’s Lib” movement took place in the late
1960s through the 1980s. Building on the work of the earlier feminists, the
second wave focused on gender inequality in the workplace, the legal system and
in American culture. Some famous names from that period are Gloria Steinem and
Betty Friedan.
The
third wave of feminism is an extension of the second and has focused on addressing
failures of the second wave and including women who had not been adequately
represented—primarily women of color.
Who Am I Without Him? is a 2004
book of short stories by a popular African American author for teens, Sharon
Flake. The title refers to the fragile self-esteem of several of the female
characters in the stories and their need to get—and keep—a man at all
costs. In spite of the gains made by
the women’s movement, these girls define themselves in the context of the males
in their lives.
Your
problem is to determine if lack of self-esteem is -a problem with teenage girls? Is body image part of the problem?
TASK:
After
you examine the problem of low self-esteem, you will create one of the
following for a public service campaign:
v
A poster
v
A public service
announcement (PSA)
PROCESS:
You will be responsible for completing the worksheets
for the link below. You will use the web sites in the “Resources” section,
along with other materials, to complete the four worksheets. These four steps
will assist you:
STEP #1 Defining the Social
Problem
STEP#2 Gathering the
Evidence
STEP #3 Identifying the
Cause
STEP #4 Evaluate the
Policy
STEP #5 Develop Solutions
STEP #6 Select the Best
Solution
Students should read Who Am I Without
Him, paying special attention to the stories “So I Ain’t
No Good Girl,” “The Ugly One,” “Jacob’s Rules,” “Wanted: a Thug,” and “A Letter
to My Daughter.”
Students should also consult the other
resources (listed under Resources) on feminism and body image for additional
information in order to complete their projects.
RESOURCES:
The Annals of
America. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2003.
Vol. 19 (1970), pp. 109-113. “Memorandum on the Proposed Equal Rights Amendment.”
Vol. 20 (1975), pp. 150-158. “Pros and Cons of the Equal Rights Amendment.”
Vol. 21 (1977), pp. 65-70.” “Marilyn
French: The National Women’s Conference.”
Cordes,
Helen. Girl power in the mirror : a book about girls,
their bodies, and themselves. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner, 2000.
Kirberger,
Kimberley. No Body’s Perfect: Stories by Teens About
Body Image, Self Acceptance, and the Search for
Identity. New York: Scholastic, 2003.
EVALUATION:
Rubrics
·
For
PSAs
CONCLUSION:
Congratulations on creating your poster or PSA! I hope
that by analyzing this topic you have achieved a greater understanding of a
complicated, timely and important topic. In the future, you may come across
other books that deal with similar problems.
STANDARDS
English Language Arts
Standard 1
Students will read, write,
listen, and speak for information and understanding.
As listeners and readers,
students will collect data, facts, and ideas, discover
relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from
oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they
will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit
information.
Standard 2
Students will read, write,
listen, and speak for literary response and expression.
Students will read and listen to
oral, written and electronically produced texts and performances, relate texts
and performances to their own lives, and develop an understanding of the
diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances
represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language
for self-expression and artistic creation.
Standard 3
Students will read, write,
listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
As listeners and readers,
students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by
others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they
will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives,
their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and
issues.
Standard 4
Students will read, write,
listen, and speak for social interaction.
Students will use oral and
written language for effective social communication with a wide variety of
people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of
others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.
Math, Science & Technology
Standard 5 - Technology Education
Students will apply technological
knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and
systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.
Social Studies
Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship,
and Government
Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for
establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and
other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of
American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities
of citizenship, including avenues of participation.