From child and forced marriage to being denied an education, all around the world, girls are still subjected to exclusion, inequality and human rights abuses every single day. And while remarkable progress has been made on gender equality, too many barriers remain that hold girls back from reaching their full potential.
To mark International Day of the Girl today on October 11th, humanitarian and girls' rights charity Plan International Australia – together with its 2024 youth advocates and celebrity ambassador, Hollywood actor Phoebe Tonkin – has joined forces with streaming service Stan to provide an inspiring selection of movies and television that smash gender stereotypes and champion girls in all their diversity.
Launched on International Day of the Girl, an exclusive collection of 25 films and television series, specially curated by Ms Tonkin and 15 Plan International Australia youth advocates, will be available to watch on the Stan platform for one week.
"Film and media can be profoundly influential. Although there has been progress - with an exciting and growing number of diverse filmmakers making more positive and authentic depictions of women and girls in all their diversities - women are not nearly portrayed enough as leaders on screen, and when they are they're far more often sexualised than men. This undermines girls and can have a real impact on their aspirations," said Ms Tonkin.
"When films, TV shows and the media reflect the diversity of young people - including our experiences, emotions and opinions - we feel empowered to be ourselves and to be proud of who we are. The greatest example of this is how spotlighting women and girls in sports, such as the Matildas most recently, has encouraged young girls to get into sports. Films like Whip It! and Bend it Like Beckham exemplify this and show girls that they are strong and deserve to be on the sports field, not just boys," added youth advocate Tegan.
"Visibility means possibility. Empowering girls and gender diverse young people begins with diverse, honest and courageous representation in media. Films inform the ways that our lives can take shape, determining our ambitions, how we see ourselves and our place in the world.
Without strong representation in the media, we become limited to what we can see - which is often much less than what we are capable of," said youth advocate Aish.
As a leading humanitarian and girls rights organisation, Plan International led a coalition of supporters to lobby the UN to create International Day of the Girl 12 years ago. And Plan continues to rally its supporters and friends to amplify girls' voices not only on this day, but every day.
Previous Plan International research, conducted together with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, has also shown that despite progress on equality in film and media having been made, popular films and television still largely sends a message to girls and young women that leadership is mostly for men. For example, an audit of some of the top-grossing films found that women and girls were:
- Four times more likely than men to be shown wearing revealing clothing (30% compared to 7%)
- Nearly twice as likely to be shown as partially nude (15% compared to 8%)
- Four times more likely to be shown completely naked (2% compared to 0.5%)
- Women in leadership positions are also more likely to be sexually objectified than men, with 15% having the camera focused on their body parts in slow motion compared to 4% of men.
From tenacious 18-year-old Jesminder in Bend It Like Beckham to the extraordinary Dido in Belle, the characters and storylines in this special curation of films, documentaries and television series show that when they're not held back, girls are capable of extraordinary things.
With the world less stable than it has been for generations, there's never been a more urgent time to stand up for girls' right to safety and equality – every moment counts.
"With so much conflict in the world right now, it can be hard to watch the news or even look at our phones sometimes. For the 10-year-old girl living in these fractured and vulnerable situations, the daily threats she is under are unimaginable, as violence deepens the inequalities and barriers she already faces – from education, to safety, to basic human rights," said Plan International Australia CEO Susanne Legena.
"And while the state of the world can feel overwhelming, making a difference doesn't has to be."
Plan International Australia is today holding its annual International Day of the Girl Giving Day, and this year aims to raise $100,000 in 24 hours with the help of friends, allies and a telethon.
Everyday Plan supports girls living through crisis, protecting their rights, ensuring their safety, and celebrating their infinite potential. Proceeds of the Giving Day will go directly to girls and children in conflict, providing life-saving aid such as food, water, dignity kits and also the much-needed psycho-social support needed to commence healing.
[
