Panel 3. Schooling of girls' minds and bodies
What do culture and society teach girls about their bodies and minds? Growing up a girl is to navigate a world of sex stereotypes, porn culture, sexual harassment, and intense focus on body image. Mental health problems and levels of self-harm are at unprecedented levels for young girls. What are girls’ experiences of their bodies andmental health? How can feminists respond across generations?
This session was chaired by Gemma Moss, Professor of Literacy, UCL Institute of Education, Director of the ESRC Education Research Programme
Speakers were Victoria Smith Feminist writer and journalist. Author of Hags, published Spring 2023, Stella O’Malley Psychotherapist and best-selling author. Founder of Genspect
and Dr Katie Alcock Senior Lecturer in Psychology at The University of Lancaster
This panel was part of Education for Women's Liberation, a day of feminist thought and women’s activism, organised by UCL Women’s Liberation SIG and WPUK. Building on the highly successful Women’s Liberation 2020 conference, the conference brought together feminist activists, students, academics, writers, politicians and women’s organisations.
Focusing on education in feminism and women’s lives, the conference addressed interconnected themes including: women’s voices in education; sexual harassment in schools and universities; the history of women’s access to education in local and global contexts; the ways in which women’s entrance into education and research has changed workplaces and academic disciplines; the impact of gendered stereotypes in educational spaces, and sex and relationship education in schools.