Retroactive Blogging: Girlie Power and empowering young girls

I'll admit it.
I totally used to rock those "Girl Power!" t-shirts.

It started in 1997.

I was in 2nd grade.

My favorite t-shirt was bright yellow and with orange writing. "Girls Rule!" it read.
I'd have worn that shirt everyday if my mom had let me.

Spice Girls were my favorite band and the first CD I ever owned.
I think I had 3 Girl Power! branded notebooks, 2 journals, and a calendar in my room.

When we got cable in 1998, Nickelodeon was my life blood.

I learned everything I needed to know from television, and Nickelodeon was at the forefront of my education.

As an only child, watched a lot of TV, and absorbed all of my knowledge about the world from it.

The thing one thing I remember the most about my childhood TV viewing was the amount of girl power. It was everywhere. I don't even have to define the word, because it was so ubiquitous. It was the 1990s and third wave feminism was everywhere. Positive role models for women were seemingly everywhere and these women were empowered. Seeing empowered women creates empowered young girls.

Reading Sarah Banet-Weiser's article Gender, Feminism, and Nickelodeon was really a nostalgia trip for me. Reading the article opened my memory banks, and I could remember watching every show mentioned in the article.

Clarissa Explains it All was my favorite show.

When I was younger, I though Clarissa was the coolest "Older Kid" ever.
She was so smart, disliked her dweeby younger brother, and wasn't even enamored or distracted by boys.

As Told By Ginger totally was another favorite.

If I had to thank any one (or thing) for getting me through Middle School, it was this show. I was nowhere near cool. This show spoke to me.

Seeing two of my favorite childhood shows mentioned in the same context of feminism blew my mind. I'd never put the link together, but maybe, the things I watched on TV really did affect me. Years after seeing and following positive young female role models on TV have made me more aware of the plight of women and the limited roles of women on TV.

I don't watch TV anymore.
I'm too broke for cable, plus there's nothing good on now.

But maybe that's not a bad thing.

Me and thousands of young women like me are ready to move into the work force. We can be the ones to change this. If we can put positive and varying images of women and young women in the media, perhaps we can change political discourse and challenge women's role in media. We're going to seriously have to do something if television ever wants to rebound from this reality TV debacle.