THERE HAS been significant concern about the images of our young women being propelled by the use of social media recently.
Whether it was young students fighting in school uniforms in the van stand or young ladies posing with guns and posting to Instagram, the images seemed to have disappointed many.
Some people have claimed that these activities were never this out of control. Perhaps there were always fights and to some extent the glamorisation of violence (as seen with the Instagram pictures). However, in this era, social media have acted as a catalyst for these images to go viral and be more readily and easily seen.
There is no single answer as to how we can curb the issue and the increasingly disappointing images of our youth.
I do not think we highlight positive images of our women as much as we should. As a result, there are few platforms available to showcase local women as positive role models for our young girls.
The responsibility is two-fold. Persons and entities should highlight these positive examples. However, these positive examples must want or see the importance of being highlighted.
The statement “I am not a role model” has been heard quite often and I have even been guilty of saying this to my elders on the odd occasion when I left home in a skirt too short.
Yes, nobody ever asks to be a role model but many of us are. Whether you are a stay-at- home mum, a postwoman or a nurse, there is the potential to be a positive example for someone.
The expectations and responsibilities (I could only imagine) can be overwhelming. However, there is always a price for being blessed.
Quite recently, while contacting a diverse group of our island’s most game-changing women, there was a thread of humility which permeated the phone calls and discussions with respect to the project.
More women than I could have imagined were concerned with being featured and coming across as self-promotion.
Ladies, humility is great and should always be carried. However, nobody can hear your message if you go through life tip-toeing in the name of “humility”.
To be honest, that is not humility. Moreover, anyone who sees promotion of positive images of women in an era which Jennifer Hyman (co-owner of Rent The Runway) described as a “2.0 female-led world” fails to see the bigger picture.
Lean In author and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg stated recently that women have one hundred more years before we gain “equality” with men. Think about that.
If we are to build a Stiletto Network, it cannot be done as a singular effort with each member thinking of herself. We also need to consider the hundreds of young girls living in our community who need us to “step inna de video light”. You cannot complain about young girls’ obsession with the lifestyles of celebrities and lack of positive roles models if the housewives, teachers, secretaries, lawyers, hairdressers and so many more among us fail to step up and our platforms fail to showcase us.
Toni Thorne is a young entrepreneur and World Economic Forum Global Shaper who loves global youth culture, a great debate and living in paradise. Email Tonithorne@hotmail.com.