Tavi Gevinson was fifteen years old when she gave this TED talk at TEDxTeen, and like most teenagers she ran a blog. But Tavi went on to more than just talking about what celebrity was wearing what, she went on to start an online magazine for teenage girls trying to "figure themselves out" called Rookie Mag.
Tavi says she feels as if what makes a female character strong is a lot of the times mistrusted, and the end up two denominational with one over played quality, like Catwoman who's sexuality is over played. She says women characters like this are not strong, their flat. I had to agree with her on this on almost every level, think about it what do most women in super hero movies or comic books have in common? Tavi goes on to say flat characters leads people to think women are easy to understand, and women get mad at themselves for being over complicated. She goes on to say shows and movies like "Mad Men" and "Bridesmaids" have complex women characters. But she feels like teens are still not represented. This hit me, when was the last time I saw a teenage girl in a show who was more then a tomboy, or a complete girly girl? She brings up shows from the 90s like "Freaks and Geeks" and "My So Called Life" that showed teenage girls just trying to figure themselves out.
Tavi said coming into high school she felt confused because girls are told they cant be smart and pretty, feminist and in to fashion, and can't like clothes with out caring what others think of them. Tavi then says all her confusion went away when she realized feminism wasn't a rule book, but a discussion. She wanted to start a website where girls didn't have to be strong in one dimension.
Her website, rookiemag.com, shows girls in other dimensions. An editor for her website said the website doesn't have all the answers, because their also still trying to figure it out themselves, but for the girls to find their own answers and beliefs.
Tavi Gevinson closes by saying she appreciates characters with total self esteem and accepting their flaws.
I actually fully enjoyed Tavi's talk, finding it very truthful to todays teenage girls and how women are presented in the media.
Tavi said coming into high school she felt confused because girls are told they cant be smart and pretty, feminist and in to fashion, and can't like clothes with out caring what others think of them. Tavi then says all her confusion went away when she realized feminism wasn't a rule book, but a discussion. She wanted to start a website where girls didn't have to be strong in one dimension.
Her website, rookiemag.com, shows girls in other dimensions. An editor for her website said the website doesn't have all the answers, because their also still trying to figure it out themselves, but for the girls to find their own answers and beliefs.
Tavi Gevinson closes by saying she appreciates characters with total self esteem and accepting their flaws.
I actually fully enjoyed Tavi's talk, finding it very truthful to todays teenage girls and how women are presented in the media.