These High School Students Have Made A Video About The Importance Of Feminism
"We're using our privilege and platform to express desires for gender equality."
A group of students from an all-boys high school in Sydney have released a video highlighting the importance of feminism on International Women’s Day.
The boys, who are all prefects from the public selective Sydney Boys High School, created the video after collecting quotes from women teachers, friends and relatives about why feminism is important to them. Each comment is read out by a different student.
“Feminism is important to me because a few months ago a guy decided for me that I wanted to have sex with him. I didn’t want to,” one student says. “Feminism is important to me because when I was 12 my father said I should be ashamed of my body,” said another.
According to the school captain, Hugh Bartley, the video is a part of a broader campaign at the school promoting gender equality. Other activities include workshops on feminism and gender stereotyping.
The response to the video has been overwhelmingly positive:
Fantastic! I actually teared up. Watch this Sydney Boys High video about why feminism is important https://t.co/ngfprZ6ZXM via @DailyLifeAU
— Caitlin Fitzsimmons (@niltiac) March 8, 2017
Nice work Sydney Boys High – a video about why feminism is important https://t.co/INhv6Xu1sn via @DailyLifeAU
— Mark Scott (@mscott) March 8, 2017
So proud to be Australian when I watch this Sydney Boys High video about why feminism is important. https://t.co/zPUeUkRNeH via @DailyLifeAU
— Penelope Reed (@PMilstein) March 8, 2017
But, for some, it’s also raised questions about men’s role in discussions about feminism. One commenter on Facebook said “It is great that these boys took the time to listen and give voice to the thoughts of the women in their lives. But maybe it would be even greater if they were able to say why feminism mattered to them, as boys, as members of society. And maybe next time those women could speak for themselves.”
Bartley is conscious of the criticism, telling The Sydney Morning Herald that while the video was “not perfect” it was an example of “young men using our privilege and platform to express desires for gender equality, and men to be more considerate of women in everyday lives.”
Read more perspectives on International Women’s Day here and here.