When I grow up I want to be like…
I can vividly recall playing with Barbie when I was a child and admiring everything about her. Her closet was filled with the most amazing clothes, she lived in a house so perfect it was actually called the Dream House, and can we take a moment to admire her hair!?
Barbie offered me a lot growing up. She was an outlet for my creativity when playing ‘house’, she let me dress her up and assign her different identities, and she always had a smile on her face. But as I grew up Barbie wasn’t the woman I looked up to anymore.
I was recently visiting a local high school when I noticed something very disturbing. I stopped off in the women’s restroom to freshen up and wash my hands. That’s when a printed flyer taped to the mirror caught my eye.
Being a newcomer to Canada can be both exciting and daunting. It often means being immersed in a foreign culture and language and, if you’re a teenager, it can feel like you’re straddling two worlds at home and school.
When we talk about healthy relationships, the language we use can make people feel excluded and uncomfortable, or on the other hand, understood and accepted. The same goes for programs that teach young people about healthy relationships: it’s important for these programs to be inclusive of gender and all walks of life.
