To celebrate the launch of the 3rd annual Festival of the Girl & International Day of the Girl, Festival of the Girl has launched their #girlpower2021 campaign.
This year sees the 25th anniversary of the single release of Wannabe and the beginning of the Spice Girls and the Girl Power revolution. Girl Power was not complex. It was an affirmation that Spice Girl fans could quickly get on board with. It brought girls together. It showed girls it was OK to be loud and have a voice. They made it cool to be a girl. The Spice Girls embodied a new type of feminism and became true figures of the girl power movement.
“[Girl power] is being able to do things just as well as — or even better than — the boys, and be what we want to be” – Mel C.
Twenty-Five years on, The Festival of the Girl’s mission is to give girls the platform to redefine what Girl Power means to them today by sharing photos, videos, drawings, and words that will feature at this year’s Festival of The Girl (10th October) #girlpower2021.
To launch this year’s campaign, a photoshoot took place on Sunday 19th September on the steps of The Carlton House Terrace emulating that iconic moment featured in the Spice Girls iconic first music video ‘Wannabe’. Shot by renowned music and lifestyle photographer Scarlet Page, the shoot was as fun as it was inspiring. Five #girlpower2021 idols featured alongside five lucky girls (winners picked from those who shared content with Festival of the Girl) – because if you can’t see it, you can’t be it!
2021 Girl Power idols
Professor Sue Black OBE – Technology Evangelist, digital skills expert, and social entrepreneur. Sue set up the UK’s first online network for women in tech BCSWomen in 1998 and led the campaign to save Bletchley Park. “Girl Power is about living the life you want to. There’s still a lot of stereotypes on what girls can and can’t do. Trust your gut and go for it!”
Grace Savage – Beatboxer (4x UK beatbox champion) and independent singer songwriter. “Girl Power should be collective. As a gender we are often pitted against each other, but we are stronger together! Don’t compare yourself to others. You are unique so don’t be afraid to be you.”
Tulip Siddiq MP – Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn. Tulip made history as the first MP to vote by proxy. “Girl Power is about doing what you want to do in life and not what others think you should do. Make YOU happy. Don’t take no for an answer.”
Sarah Gordy MBE – Professional actor, dancer and model. “I have Down’s Syndrome but that’s not all I am. Girl Power is about realising your dreams and making them come true. Girls can do everything that boys can”
Vanessa Wallace – British Paralympic athlete, shot put and javelin, who represented Team GB in this year’s Tokyo Paralympics. “Girl Power is all about listening to your inner voice – whether it’s loud or quiet – and believing it is ready to be heard. Trust and believe in yourself”
The founders of Festival of the Girl – Abi Wright, Laura Mulvaney and Jen Toll – are the forces behind #girlpower2021. They were inspired to create this campaign to increase awareness of International Day of The Girl due to it feeling dwarfed when compared to the global prominence of International Women’s Day. They want that to change, and this campaign is part of that.
Extensive research shows gender stereotypes are set by age 4 and that by age 7 girls are already struggling with low self-esteem and body image issues. The festival’s founders want to challenge this by providing inspiring and engaging content for girls, particularly before they start secondary school.
