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Did you know that 41% of girls believe girls and women are objectified in the media, and 50% of girls feel the media portrayal of girls and women is negative? We did, because we asked 3,000 Kiwi girls last year in our What Matters? Survey.
When our Ranger Advocacy Panel saw these facts, they decided to take action to change them!
This is how the ‘Girls Who Look Like Us’ campaign was born. Arianna, Madison, Nishika, Olivia, Summer, Zoe, Carly, Hailey, Madeline and Petra are the girls getting this initiative off the ground, alongside our awesome volunteers, Rachael and Claire. Together they form the Ranger Advocacy Panel (RAP), a group of ten girls aged 12-17 years from around New Zealand that meet regularly to discuss and advocate for change that matters to Kiwi girls.
The girls have paired to write letters to a retailer they love, but which currently doesn’t reflect the diversity of girls they see every day. This letter is an invitation to join the conversation and about we can join forces to create a happier and healthier environment for New Zealand girls.
So why is it important for girls to see diversity and change perceptions around body image? “Having girls looking up to unrealistic body standards or similar modelling shows them that beauty is only in one shape, but there is more than one type of ‘beauty’!”, says Carly, a Ranger in Palmerston North who’s been on the Panel for two years.
Summer, from Kaikoura, joined the RAP this year. She is keen “to make girls feel comfortable in their own skin and to help girls realise that we’re all unique in our own way. We shouldn’t body shame anyone.”
Our Ranger Advocacy Panel is kicking off a campaign to change the way advertising is done in New Zealand Aotearoa, we would LOVE for you to be a part of it, add your voice in the link here.
If you’re not already involved with Guiding, then sign up here to stay in the know about awesome things girls are doing!