PhEminist mapping exploration
The phEminist mapping exploration
The phEminist mapping exploration was set up as a creative conversation, using the well known method of the idea map, as a way to make connections between the YWAs. As this was the first time we had all come together as a group, it was important to build relationships of trust. A large sheet of paper was spread over a series of tables in the centre of the room, and various coloured pens were provided. The YWAs were then given a series of prompt words. The words were taken from the front covers of a range of women’s magazines. These included: Body, Skin, Female, Femininity, and Beauty, which were the most repeated words on the covers of magazines that lined the shelf in the local shop. They are words that bell hooks (1994) and Sara Ahmed (2004) would consider ‘weighted words’, meaning words rooted in histories of oppression. However, hooks also said that these words can provide an opportunity for transformation, a way of challenging past histories through collaboration. Therefore, these words became a trigger for the initial responses from the YWAs, that then provided opportunity to make connections across the group. Through sharing of stories, experiences and anecdotes, the YWAs began to create what hooks (1994, 8) would describe as ‘an open learning community’. A safe place to share what can be difficult experiences.
The phEminist mapping exploration was set up as a creative conversation, using the well known method of the idea map, as a way to make connections between the YWAs. As this was the first time we had all come together as a group, it was important to build relationships of trust. A large sheet of paper was spread over a series of tables in the centre of the room, and various coloured pens were provided. The YWAs were then given a series of prompt words. The words were taken from the front covers of a range of women’s magazines. These included: Body, Skin, Female, Femininity, and Beauty, which were the most repeated words on the covers of magazines that lined the shelf in the local shop. They are words that bell hooks (1994) and Sara Ahmed (2004) would consider ‘weighted words’, meaning words rooted in histories of oppression. However, hooks also said that these words can provide an opportunity for transformation, a way of challenging past histories through collaboration. Therefore, these words became a trigger for the initial responses from the YWAs, that then provided opportunity to make connections across the group. Through sharing of stories, experiences and anecdotes, the YWAs began to create what hooks (1994, 8) would describe as ‘an open learning community’. A safe place to share what can be difficult experiences.
Building connections
As you can see in the images above, the YWAs made many associations with the trigger words, but there were two main points of interest that became apparent from this exploration. The first was that the majority of the connections the YWAs made were negative. Issues around the pressure of media imagery to look a certain way, idealised versions of women often being unobtainable, and then stories of how these ideals materialised in their every day lives, both through horrible experiences of being judged by their peers to more extreme experiences which effected their mental wellbeing. This initial sharing then fed into a realisation that many of the insecurities shared by an individual were reflected across other members of the group. This realisation created connections between the YWAs and formed what became a strong community. The lines on the maps above literally representing the newly formed web of connections between the YWAs.
As you can see in the images above, the YWAs made many associations with the trigger words, but there were two main points of interest that became apparent from this exploration. The first was that the majority of the connections the YWAs made were negative. Issues around the pressure of media imagery to look a certain way, idealised versions of women often being unobtainable, and then stories of how these ideals materialised in their every day lives, both through horrible experiences of being judged by their peers to more extreme experiences which effected their mental wellbeing. This initial sharing then fed into a realisation that many of the insecurities shared by an individual were reflected across other members of the group. This realisation created connections between the YWAs and formed what became a strong community. The lines on the maps above literally representing the newly formed web of connections between the YWAs.