Resources

Organizations and Online Resources

Gender Equality in Education in Australia – An Australian Story: Gender Equality in Education and The Workplace

Women’s Media Center – this organization works with the media to ensure that women’s stories are told and women’s voices are heard. Its methods include media advocacy campaigns, media monitoring for sexism, creating original content, and training women and girls to participate in media.

Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media – a researched-based organization working within the media and entertinament industry to reduce gender stereotyping for young children.

The Feminist Majority Foundation – a cutting-edge organization dedicated to women’s equality, reproductive health, and non-violence, utilizing research and action to empower women economically, socially, and politically. Its website includes a list and brief descriptions of feminist comics.

Reel Grrls – Seattle-based non-profit that empowers young women to make their own media.

Girls Inc. – inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.

About-Face – an organization designed to equip women and girls with tools to understand and resist harmful media messages that affect self-esteem and body image.

Girlshealth.gov – website devoted to topics for girls such as body, fitness, resisting drugs and alcohol, relationships, and bullying.

BAM! Body and Mind – information for kids on making healthy lifestyle choices, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Girls Empowerment Network – Austin, Texas-based organization supporting and guiding girls to make wise choices as they navigate the unique pressures of girlhood.

Children’s Media Project – helping children and youth to interact with the media arts both as creators and critical viewers.

Girlstart – empowering girls in science, technology, engineering and math.

National Organization for Women (NOW) – women’s rights organization active since 1966.

Ms. Magazine – When Ms. was launched as a “one-shot” sample insert in New York Magazine in December 1971, few realized it would become the landmark institution in both women’s rights and American journalism that it is today.

U.S. National Archives – source for primary documents on us women’s history.

SPARK – a girl-fueled activist movement to demand an end to the sexualization of women and girls in media.

The Girl Scouts Healthy Media Commission – with the support of the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and the Creative Coalition, the Girl Scouts Healthy Media Commission convened the first national dialogue on healthy images of women and girls in the media, and is spearheading an industry-wide commitment to promote positive media images.

The Line Campaign – a non-profit organization that is committed to empowering young leaders to create a world without sexual violence, using critical dialogues and original media to inspire action and developing leadership among diverse groups within their communities.

She Should Run – a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing the number of women in public leadership by eliminating and overcoming barriers to success.

Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN) – the only national organization with the sole focus of preparing college women for leadership in the public policy arena. A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., PLEN introduces college women to role models, career paths, and skills training before they enter the workforce.

Leadership in the Workplace and School – Tips on leadership in college.

A Mighty Girl – an extensive resource list of books, toys, movies, and music for parents, teachers, and others dedicated to raising smart, confident, and courageous girls.

Association for Media Literacy (Canada) – a group made up of teachers, librarians, consultants, parents, cultural workers, and media professionals concerned about the impact of the mass media on contemporary culture.

Geek Girl Con – dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the contribution of women in all aspects of geek culture.

Sports Book Review – an empowering resource with information on women and girls in sports.

Reading

Ink-Stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors: Superwomen in Modern Mythology – shows how the female hero in modern mythology has broken through the boy’s club barrier of tradition and reveals the pivotal role of high-heeled crimefighters in popular culture.

Women’s Media Center: The Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2012 – all the latest data on who determines the content of news, literature, and television and film entertainment.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter – offers an important exploration of the burgeoning girlie-girl culture and what it could mean for girls identities and their futures.

The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines – accessible history of the comic book heroine.

From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women’s Comics from Teens to Zines – chronological commentary (with attitude) on the authors, artists, trends, and sassy, brassy characters featured in comic books for the last half-century.

Maiden USA: Girl Icons Come of Age – explores images of powerful, contradictory pop culture icons of the past decade, which run the gamut from Mean Girls and their Endangered Victims to Superheroines and Ingenue Goddesses.

Gender Roles & Occupations: A Look at Character Attributes and Job-Related Aspirations in Film and Television – The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media commissioned Dr. Stacy Smith, Ph.D. and her team at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism to conduct this extensive study.

Gender Stereotypes: An Analysis of Popular Films and TV – The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media’s major research study on the representation of genders in G-Rated entertainment.

Websites and Blogs

Women Write About Comicsconnects girls and women who write about comics and organizes commentary around the hot issues of the day in the comics industry and fandom.

DC Women Kicking Ass – thoughts, pictures, reviews and other stuff about the women of DC Comics, and occasionally Marvel and other places, who kick ass.

The Mary Sue – site for entertainment geeks, female or otherwise. Coverage includes movies, comics, TV/movie fandom, and other cool stuff.

GeekMom – parenting perspectives from geek girls, grown up.

A Mighty Girl – the world’s largest collection of books and movies for smart, confident, and courageous girls.

Girls Gone Geek – domain of Erika Peterman and Vanessa Gabriel, two fangirls with as many opinions as comic books.

Girl-Wonder.org – collection of sites dedicated to female characters and creators in mainstream comics.

Ladies Making Comics – covering the latest and greatest of female comics.

Escher Girls – a blog for pictures of female characters in impossible or ridiculous poses or with disturbing anatomy because the artists need to show the sexy.

This Is What Women In Superhero Comics Should Be About – devoted to images that epitomize the positive way women in superhero comics should be portrayed. Also thoughts about what the positive portrayal of women should entail.

Wonder Woman Museum – virtual museum dedicated to presenting information on the past, present, and future of Wonder Woman.

Men Reading Women In Comics – aims to debunk the myth that men aren’t interested in reading strong, diverse and interesting women in comics – either as characters or creators.

Girls+Comics – explores the relationship between girls and comics, a project for the Narratives and Networks class in the University of Washington’s Master of Communication in Digital Media program.

COSTUMES TO COMICS – a brief history of superheroes

Films

Miss Representation – documentary film that exposes how mainstream media contributes to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence in America.

Going on 13 – chronicles four girls’ coming of age and the precarious moments between being a little girl and becoming a young woman.

Sisters of 77 – a fascinating look at a pivotal weekend event in 1977 that not only changed the lives of the women who attended, but the lives of Americans everywhere.

Barbie Nation – documentary film that explores the history and fantasy behind this unlikely cultural icon.

 

 

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