Celebrate National Women's History Month

C.A. Gage, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Feb 25, 2009 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

March is Women's History Month. Celebrate by sharing information on women's achievements and new insights on challenges women still face. Click on source links at end of this article to expand your knowledge.

1. The National Women's History Project (NWHP)

Learn about the women behind the official designation of National Women's History Month and the organization they founded. Self-described on its site, "The National Women's History Project, founded in 1980, is a non-profit educational organization committed to recognizing and celebrating the diverse and significant historical accomplishments of women by providing information and educational materials and programs."

The NWHP "honors women who have taken the lead in the environmental or 'green' movement" with its 2009 theme, "Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet." Rightfully chosen as their "iconic model" is marine biologist and zoologist Rachel Carson.

2. Watch Rachel Carson Remembered

The Bill Moyers Journal segments on Rachel Carson's life, before and after Silent Spring, are moving must-sees, especially for nature and environmental writers. Parts I and II show how Rachel Carson's quiet life was turned inside-out, after she dared to share her revolutionary pesticide research findings with the public in 1962.

The engaging performance art of Kaiulani Lee - whose one-woman stage show, A Sense of Wonder, brings Carson to life - is interwoven throughout the Moyers report. Archive film glamorizing pesticide use in its heyday and photos of Carson - public and private - help one grasp the level of courage Carson needed to stand firm against the chemical industry. It is impossible to estimate the benefit we still reap from Carson's call for protection of the natural world she loved so deeply.

3. Visit the Library of Congress site dedicated to Women's History Month

The Library of Congress has chosen "Women's Art: Women's Vision" as its theme for Women's History Month 2009. While the number of women's history and culture resources online - text, images, audios, and videos - are amazing, they are just a small representation of the millions of items the Library maintains.

Follow the "Collections" link to further broaden online exhibition options. For example, Margaret Mead: Human Nature and the Power of Culture transports one back in time and around the world. This controversial female anthropologist's hand-written childhood diary, letters from the field, and research expedition photos are some of the fascinating images available for viewing.

Margaret Mead was a role model to many, including Dr. Mary Pipher, whose "special area of interest is how American culture influences the mental health of its people."

4. Watch Dr. Mary Pipher's video: Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls

A 36-minute preview of the video - available on the site - is an excellent sampling of Dr. Pipher's work as therapist, researcher, and communicator. Dr. Pipher discusses the influence of culture on teen identity development, with special emphasis on the potentially harmful media messages that bombard young women in the process of defining themselves.

From a girl's earliest exposure to images of what a woman must be, to advertising devices which pressure women to achieve "Hollywood beauty," the powerful cultural influence of the media is revealed. As teens break away from parental influence, they look to the media for answers, but messages which inappropriately sexualize young women, undermine self-esteem, and promote fix-me consumerism await in abundance.

Dr. Pipher's findings are valuable to media-consumers interested in gaining a new perspective on popular entertainment and advertising. Dr. Pipher also outlines healthy identity development strategies adults may use to support the adolescent girls in their own lives.

Finding messages of self-respect for girls is not always easy. However, one piece of positive (and surprising) news is the traditional, "princess-seeking-prince" fairy tale has been rewritten. Culturally speaking, the emergence of a strong, smart, and single female fairy tale character is significant, so Women's History Month is also the time to re-introduce Princess Bubble.

5. Watch the Today Show clip and consider Princess Bubble

Princess Bubble is a beauty who won't settle for any old beast. She "graduated from the Royal University. She then took a job for the Royal Heir Line. Ready for adventure, the princess wanted to travel to other kingdoms and lands. She wanted to meet new people and learn about their cultures and differences" - click here to see her en route!

Susan Johnston and Kimberly Webb, with illustrator Maria Tornelli, made history in 2006 by presenting girls with a modern fairy tale formula for living "happily ever after" - one in which snagging a prince is not mandatory. This is not to say Princess Bubble is "anti-prince" - only "anti-damsel-in-distress."

Johnston's quote says it all: "Our passion is for girls / women to recognize their value and worth. We believe true happiness comes from loving God, helping others and liking who you are already. There are so many girls compromising themselves, starving themselves, and in abusive dating relationships - all seeking the attention of some guy..." Johnston and Webb's goal is to encourage girls to "feel secure in their own skins."

Celebrate National Women's History Month - find inspiration, be inspirational, and explore all the possibilities.

Sources

http://www.nwhp.org/aboutnwhp/history.php

http://www.nwhp.org/resourcecenter/index.php

http://www.nwhp.org/whm/index.php

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09212007/watch.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Spring

http://www.kaiulanilee.com/

http://www.kaiulanilee.com/senseofwonder.html

http://www.loc.gov/topics/womenshistory/

http://www.loc.gov/topics/womenshistory/collections/

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mead/