Transcript Reviving Ophelia PPT (ilsa Version)

REVIVING
OPHELIA
A book by Mary Pipher (PhD)
MAIN IDEA

Girls are pressured by many elements of our
culture to be a certain kind of person


The change this pressure makes manifests itself most
clearly during the adolescent years
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBAYiBoy43M
TITLE & SIGNIFICANCE
Shakespeare’s Hamlet
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnvgq8STMGM
 Ophelia falls in love with Hamlet and lives for his
approval – trying to please him

She has no inner direction or sense of self
 She lets him determine her sense of value
 When he scorns her affections, she goes mad with
grief and takes her own life


The story expresses metaphorically how girls
may lose themselves to the many pressures they
experience during adolescents
BEFORE & AFTER ADOLESCENCE

In like a LION, out like a lamb






More appearance and sex conscious
Quieter, more fearful of having strong opinions
Less honest, more careful about what they say
Self-critical, more likely to second guess themselves
Less likely to play sports or love math & science
Hide their intelligence
(Before)
(After)
GROWING INTO HEALTHY ADULTS

Girls NEED
A
D
B
E
C
F
BODY IMAGE

Our culture has imposes stringent standards for
beauty on adolescent girls


http://www.seventeen.com/
Huge preoccupation with image and constant
focus of attention
Small flaws become obsessions
 Focus on getting THINNER when body actual ADDS
FAT during puberty
 Diet culture
 Eating Disorders

EDUCATION

Overall Negative Impact







Performance in math & science goes down
Lose optimism & resiliency
Less curious, less inclined to take risks
Lose assertiveness
Doubt themselves, their answers (math questions, etc)
Why? Fear embarrassment, alienation from peers
Teachers aren’t helping
Call on boys more than girls
 Girls are praised for clothes and behavior, rather than
work
 Boys’ failure is attributed to lack of ability, Girls failure is
attributed to lack of effort

REACTION TO PRESSURE
Conform
 Withdraw
 Get Depressed
 Get Angry


Ironically, this is the
time when girls need
parents most, but also
the time when they
want them around the
least