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Contact: Jenni Brockman Phone: 804-443-3357 Fax: 804-443-6781 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tappahannock (November 10, 2004) - “Gossip is like money in ‘girl world,’” speaker Shanterra McBride told students at St. Margaret’s School as they nodded in agreement. By the end of her hour-long workshop, however, students also understood it’s a poisonous currency that isolates girls by weakening their same-sex social structure and increases their vulnerability to violence. 
Photo left:
The Empower Program’s Shanterra McBride (center) sets the scene for a role-play by two St. Margaret’s students. The exercise was part of a workshop on avoiding gossip and strengthening peer relationships.
McBride, master educator and deputy executive director of the Empower Program, led girls to that conclusion by engaging them in honest dialogue, several learning exercises and a role-play. In one brainstorm, students listed attributes of “in” girls (skinny, attractive, rich, confident, popular) and “out” girls (ugly, geeky, socially awkward, possibly smelly, have weird interests). McBride then drew a circle around the in-group attributes to indicate the divide that is created when students start labeling and categorizing each other. “It looks great to be here inside the circle,” she said, “but there’s also a cost.” Students quickly identified the benefits—having friends and boyfriends—then listed such negatives as the pressures of having to meet everyone else’s expectations, always look a certain way and not know what you really like. They did the same for the out-group, noting the obvious drawbacks of feeling hurt, insecure and not respected, then listing some positives that surprised them, such as having fewer but truer friends and knowing who you are as a person. “You know you hate her, that girl inside the circle, but you also want to be her,” McBride said, explaining that the circle also represents popular culture’s idea of how young women should look and act. It’s particularly true when boys come into the mix. “Why do you let boys affect your relationships with each other so much?” she shouted, her exasperation prompting a burst of giggles from the audience. The tone quickly turned serious as McBride told a story about how a sixth-grader who was scorned for acting helpless to get male attention became a tenth-grader who got drunk at parties with boys. Two students then role played how one girl might confidentially express concern to another girl about inappropriate behavior at a dance, rather than spread gossip or rumors. McBride’s presentation was part of St. Margaret’s Health Day, a twice-annual event that also included sessions on staying well and reducing stress. The Washington-based Empower Program is perhaps best known for co-founder Rosalind Wiseman’s book about teen girls’ relationships, “Queen Bees and Wannabes,” which was the basis for the recent movie “Mean Girls.” |
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