Very Young Girls

My parents association hosted Real Life, Real Talk: Sex Eds for Parents last night. For me, there was such a deep connection between the ideas we exchanged about what we need to do and say for our own children to have the chance of safe, healthy, and fun sexual futures, and what we need to begin to think about doing for all children. In a way, that's the point of my whole blog.

TThree seperate events crossed my e-mail/happened this morning, but they are connected at the root.

First, apparently Mattel is sexing-up Dora, which is absolutely disgusting. Hardy Girls has started the petition to keep her strong, bold, adventuress and with a bit of a girls belly.

Then, I had the incredible pleasure of hosting Cathy Plourde in my activism class. She is an incredibly inspiring activist and playwrite and director and creator and teacher. Truly, she rocked. But the material she brings into the community is serious and hard. Eating disorders, gendered and sexual violence, homophobia and heterosexism. Again, these are all part of youth's lives and as adults we need to bear witness and be strong allies and agents of change. Her project is Add Verb Productions and the web site is full of great info.

Then, on a progressively harder-to-watch note, the Maine Women's Fund is sponsoring a viewing of A Very Young Girl, which chronicles the story of several girls who have been manipulated into a life of prostitution, as teens. Courtney has a review on Feministing, and there is more information on the web site.

I am possibly too tired and my head is too full of thoughts to write the cogent analysis of how these issues stack up on each other, and yet it seems so clear that they do and it effects us all in different ways.

Very Young Girls
March 26: Social Justice Film Series
SPACE Gallery - 538 Congress St, Portland
Doors Open at 7:00 and Film at 7:30 pm
Admission $7 / $5 for SPACE members
VERY YOUNG GIRLS + Q&A with Director David Schisgall
Tix/Info at www.space538.org
Film website: www.vygthemovie.com