It’s been a tough few months for girls and women, and it doesn’t look to get easier in the immediate future. And whilst March and Women’s History Month is a time to focus on the amazing women who’ve helped to get us where we are, this year we opted for something different. With our¬†Political Powerhouses¬†column, we’ve got some pretty amazing women featured on our blog each week. And our weekly entries for 52 examine objects integral to understanding the history‚Äìand current culture‚Äìof girlhood. So this year, instead of looking at some of the amazing women in history, we decided to look at some of the amazing girls and young women portrayed in literary illustrations.
Updating Illustrated Girls has been on our radar for a while, and in looking at what to do for Women’s History Month this year, we decided this would be the perfect time for some new entries. Over the month of March, we’ll add¬†9 more images from books and comics. These additions were chosen for how they portray a wider array of diversity amongst girls. From the late 19th century we get a glimpse of how¬†Europeans viewed Japanese culture, to a 2016 comic book with a transgender girl as the protagonist. Each of these new entries strives to see how girls of other skin colours, cultures, or gender identities are viewed from an often white, English-speaking background.
Illustrated Girls is my favorite exhibition, and I hope you enjoy these new entries as much as I do. We’ll post a new one here on the blog every few days, and be sure to check out all of the entries on the exhibition page.
-Katie Weidmann
Social Media Manager
Girl Museum Inc.