This document outlines the goals, activities, and discussion topics for a workshop on how girls are portrayed in media. The workshop aims to help girls identify common advertising techniques, recognize how advertisements often depict women unrealistically, and explore how media images can impact self-esteem. Key activities include creating posters analyzing advertising techniques and contrasting "reel girls" from media with "real girls". Discussion topics cover how much time youth spend with media, what activities girls are usually shown engaging in, and what girls like and dislike about media portrayals.
2. Goals
Discover
Learn how to identify advertisements.
Practice recognizing common advertising techniques.
Talk about the way advertisements show girls and women.
Connect
Talk about the impact of media on girls self-esteem, health,
and life goals.
Take Action
Create a poster of 4 common advertising techniques.
Create a poster of “reel girls” versus “real girls.”
3. Media Facts
• Youth ages 8-18 spend an average of 7.5
hours with media each day
– 4.5 hours watching TV
– 2.5 hours listening to music
– 1.5 hours on the computer
– 1.25 hours playing video games
• Youth who spend more time with media
have lower grades
• We see about 5,000 ads each day
4. Advertisements
What is an advertisement?
Where do we find advertisements?
Who creates advertisements?
Why are advertisements created?
How do advertisements work?
5. Advertising Techniques
Be cool – not geeky, nerdy, smart
Other kids have/do it – you should too
Humor – make you laugh, have fun
Be a grown-up – more risky, be sexy
7. Find the Advertisements
Form a group of three girls
1. Get materials – poster, glue,
scissors, three magazines
2. Hold poster – all will make poster
3. Talk about your poster
Find advertisements that show your
type of advertising technique
Share your poster with the group
8. Girls and Media
• What do you usually see girls doing in
movies or on TV shows?
• What does this tell you about what is
important to girls and women?
• Is anything left out?
• What do you like or dislike about the way
girls are shown in the media?
• How does this make you feel?
16. Reel Girls vs Real Girls
Form a group of three girls
1. Get materials – poster, glue, scissors, three magazines
2. Hold poster – all will make poster
3. Talk about your poster
Draw a line down the middle of your poster
• one side for fake (reel) girls and one side for real girls
Find pictures of girls doing different things
• If it is something a real girl would do or like, put it under
“real girls”
• If it is not something a real girl would do or like, put it under
“reel girls”
Share your poster with the group
17. Closing Thoughts
What did you learn about advertisements?
• Where are they?
• Why are they created?
What do you think about how girls are
shown in the media?
What can you do about media messages
about girls?
Editor's Notes
A message that is designed to tell or sell you something.
Everywhere: TV, movies, radio, internet, cell phones, clothes, school, billboards, stores
People who will make money when you buy their product.
To sell something or tell something
Creative techniques: be cool, other kids have/do it, humor, don’t be geeky, be sexy, even more risky
Show videos and talk about advertising techniques.
When we think about girls and movies the first thing that comes to my mind is the Disney princesses. Who is this? What is her story? What about those ladies at the bottom right? Are they beautiful like Cinderella? How do they look? Is this how mean, evil people are usually shown? Are ugly people always mean? Are beautiful people always nice?
Who is this? What is her story?
Anything interesting about Ariel? How was her life under the sea? Why did she give up her family and friends? For the prince. Of course, she chose to give up everything that was important to her for the prince. What do you think about that choice?
Poor Snow White, taking care of those seven little guys. She works so hard. What terrible thing happens to Snow White? Wasn’t there an evil queen who wanted to kill Snow White? How does the movie end? Who saves her? The prince. Are we starting to see a pattern in these Disney movies?
What is the reality for young girls and women? Do they wait for the prince to save them? What else could real girls do to improve their lives? What about going to school, working hard, having their own dreams and goals?
Who has or had dolls?
What kind of dolls? Barbie, Bratz, American Girl, others?
What do girls do with these dolls?
What do we learn from playing with dolls?
What do you notice first about these dolls?
Do these Bratz look like real girls that you know?
Would it be smart for young girls to wear this much make up?
Would it be smart for young girls to wear shorts/skirts this short?
How many young girls wear shoes with high heels?
What do you notice about these dolls?
What would happen if they had to bend over to pick up the things on the floor?
Is the Christmas outfit realistic? I wonder if Ms. Clause would be cold in that outfit.
