Girls have always been under the control of their parents, extended families, communities, and governments, their minds and bodies being policed at all times. The most extreme example of this is the Chinese practice of foot binding. Thought to have begun around...
Barefoot children sitting on crates or standing in the dirt. Young boys and girls together, some smiling, some not even looking at the camera. In this written description, different images might come to mind. Some people might picture a group of kids playing a...
The Romanov princesses referred to themselves as OTMA, the first letters of each of their names. Their mother did her best to treat them and make them appear as a oneness – a group of girls, rather than individuals. They were even dressed alike. This...
There are traditions of tattooing women and girls all over the world. Usually, tattoos mark the time of transition from girlhood to womanhood, just after puberty. And for females, it seems that the placement of the tattoos are in very visible and sensitive...
When you think of suffragettes, what comes to mind? Women picketing in front of the White House, holding signs and wearing purple sashes. A young woman stepping in front of a horse, willingly sacrificing herself in order to bring attention to the cause....
What if you could tell your gender age and marital status just from your clothes? Well, in most cultures, you can. What we wear tells the rest of our communities what our exact place is within it. In much of sub-Saharan Africa, modesty norms are very different...
