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“What Makes A Girl”

Creators: Farrah
a High School Student from Global Kids
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About this Project:

The project demonstrates how many people, even women, argue about femininity. Some think that being "overly" feminine makes a woman seem like an attention-seeker. The demonization of femininity has caused girls to go against each other, deciding what we should and shouldn't like, wear, etc.


On the other hand, some girls that are not feminine get bashed for trying too hard to stand out and seem unique. They are also faced with pressure from others that think all women should be feminine. Girls should be supporting each other, especially since women already face so many other problems.


I felt that making a comic about this issue would be a good idea because it could show some of the points that both sides of the argument make, as well as why it is a problem.

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Feedback from the Judges:

Kate Rosenbloom
👏 Director of Instructional Design, 2U Boot Camps at 2U Inc. — Emoti-Con Judge
I love how your comic highlights a very important fact that not enough people believe: there is no "right way" to be a girl. Any expression of girlhood that makes a you feel most like your true self is the right way--whether you are transgender (your gender does not match the body you were born with) , cisgender (your gender and body do match), or otherwise!

If you continue working on these comics, I would love if the next one showed the blue and pink friends learning more details about one or two of the issues that the purple friend mentions here. For instance, maybe one of the them asks "What is the wage gap?" Then purple girl can explain the history behind unequal pay, how the gap that has persisted to this day, and how the gap is even greater for Black and Latina women than it is for White women! Then she can go in to some ways the girls can all work together to address the issue (contacting politicians, raising awareness, etc)!

A beautifully drawn comic with a nice message. Great work!

Sarah Maldonado
👏 Director of Program Performance at Mouse — Emoti-Con Judge
I like the idea of using a comic to tell a story about societal issues. It's engaging and I appreciate your use of colors to move the frames forward. It'd be great to see additional comics of yours on other points of femininity – make up, hobbies, music, and more. Perhaps even a set of characters who span ages and cultures! There's so much to be said about femininity, I like that you're finding a new way to add to the discourse. Bravo!

Cora Foxx
👏 Lead UXD on Spaces at Google — Emoti-Con Judge
Excellent illustrations, Farrah! Really well done drawings. This project is visually very professional and polished. The different sides of the disagreement are well written. I wonder if there would be a way for this to resolve with some kind of action the reader can take, to check their own biases. Awesome work!

Yuet Chu
👏 Executive Director of Support - ACCESS at NYC Department of Education — Emoti-Con Judge
I like the idea of using comics to illustrate the important issue of perception of "girl." Sadly so many of us have suffered ill opinions of others that sometimes causes self-esteem issues. Elevating this issue is so important especially in middle and high school. The presentation is clear and sends a strong message. I would love to see a continuation of the story where the characters come to an understanding and appreciate one another, in spite of differences.

Feedback from the Community:

Tina 👏 a High School Student from NY-HS
Farrah, your project really highlights that even women have internalized the patriarchal, misogynistic beliefs. I really appreciate you calling out the blue and pink girls for fussing over "superficial", trivial even, things when there are so many women oppressed right now. This reminds me of white feminism; the silence and disbelief at the end. Thank you for creating this--let's actively create opportunities to empower all women :)

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