“Hot girls are walking, girls are blogging, dinner is girl, 40 year old men are girls, we are in a girl economy.” Youtuber Mina Le explained in a recent video. She covered the topics of the increase in groups and language directed at girls that is taking over different parts of the internet, and impacting young girls. Why is this a significant change?
At Monte Vista, students have made a plethora of different clubs for their own interests. These can include sports, hobbies, awareness, education, etc. But let’s talk about the new concept students have taken on, women empowerment.
“There’s a lot of different films that have come out recently, like the Barbie movie, about women, by women; we’re kinda in the time period where we’re changing film, and that should be talked about, and it’s so important to have a community you can talk to about that.” said sophomore Nika Wilczkowiak, the president of Females in Film. Females in Film is a film club that was created for women to come together and share their love for film. In the club, students pick movies created by women to watch and discuss together. Outside of school, they plan to create their own movies with one another, sharing ideas and collaborating. All of the members have a genuine interest in film and will continue to contribute to the club as time goes on. “If you love film, join the club,” Wilczkowiak said. “You don’t have to be a woman either. It’s just if you want to have a good community of people.”
Wilczkowiak admits she took inspiration from fellow feminist-centerist club Ladies in Literature.
Ladies in Lit, a book club, was founded by junior Adi Hylen. Hylen struggled to find a book club that she felt a part of. Because of this, she decided to create an inclusive environment where women could talk about their common interest in books. Every club meeting begins with a discussion on the book the club has been reading, then, Hylen then gives the members an opportunity to share their opinions on whether they liked the book or not. She then presents a slideshow of all the books her members have recommended and announces the next book they will read. “It’s not just for girls,” Hylen said. “Everyone is welcome because it’s fun to hear people’s opinions and thoughts on anything, and we love meeting new people.”
Girls Who Code is a coding club for girls to learn about different concepts in coding. The club was founded by a Monte Vista graduate, and has since then been passed down to Roumina Shahrodizadh, a current junior. Shahrodizadh joined the club in her freshman year, and after finding out that the club would be discontinued after both the president and vice-president of the club graduated, she decided to take over. Shahrodizadh stepped up to be the new president because she found importance in girls learning how to code. Since she has become the new president, she keeps the club running by holding club meetings and teaching new concepts in coding such as Python, Java and C++. The club members as well help with AP CSP and AP CSA. Shahrodizadh’s members are allowed to ask questions, they use different websites to practice coding and watch videos on how to do so, and the members collaborate to code together and try new things. “It’s hard to get girls to join the club,” Shahrodizadh said. “When we were having the club fair, we did have majority guys trying to join the club as a joke.” Shahrodizadh speaks out on how boys at Monte Vista found the club to be humorous for them, and were taking away from the foundation she was trying to make for girls to be able to learn something new.
In a culture where women are mocked for virtually any interest, words such as “girly” or “feminine” are deemed insults. Through the developments of feminism through the years, progress has been made and women have been able to express themselves in new ways, something they were never fully able to do. Everything is ‘girl’- the feminization of any style, product, or everyday activities (such as meals or math). These have become token terms that have spread through social media and have made their ways into some peoples’ common language. Reclaiming a past of mockery and shame creates adds a sense of solidarity amongst women, and creates a new addition to the culture of girlhood for many.
Although both clubs don’t have a women-only rule, a majority of the members are female. Communities like this can be a place for women to express themselves in a zone with so many others who can relate. This subset of any larger fandom can be a nicher, more organized community.
