Kicking off another year of CT Girlcott

The steps of Hartford's Charter Oak Cultural Center were alive with enthusiasm on Monday for the kickoff of CT Girlcott 2014. Inspired by Eve Ensler's (author of “The Vagina Monologues”) visit in 2011 and discussion about the cosmetics industry, Girlcott is “a movement of women willing to go makeup free and donate the money usually spent in a month on cosmetics to organizations that benefit women and girls in Connecticut and around the world, while raising awareness around body image and the relationship between women and the makeup they wear.”

Monday's press conference was attended by many women leaders from across Hartford and the state who were founders of the Girlcott movement, including Rabbi Donna Berman (Charter Oak Cultural Center), Senator Beth Bye, CT First Lady Cathy Malloy, Dr. Mala Matacin (University of Hartford), and the Stowe Center's own Executive Director Katherine Kane, among others. Each gave remarks about the success of the movement and its ability to inspire women and girls, and the need to give attention to gender issues. 

Continuing the conversation on the many challenges women face, Grilcott will continue through 2013 and into 2014. The Charter Oak Cultural Center will host a showing of “Girl Rising,” a documentary about the power and importance of educating women, on October 2. After the success of the “Revealed: Images of Women Leaders Who Bared to Make Change” exhibit last spring, Grilcott will sponsor “Stop Telling Women to Smile” by Tatyana Fazlailizdeh in March 2014, an exhibition of portraits of women who have faced gender-based street harassment. 

Rabbi Donna Berman concluded the conference by saying “As wonderful as this is, this is only the beginning. Just you watch.”

For more information, visit www.ctgirlcott.org and read recent articles in the Hartford Courant and 's article CT News Junkie.

This year’s mission is to raise awareness about the challenges and issues facing women in 2014: body image, objectification, violence, self-esteem, pay inequity, the epidemic of sexual assault, etc. Ultimately, it is about a Girlcott (as opposed to boycott) of policies, attitudes, and practices that allow gender injustice to continue.

(Images courtesy of CT News Junkie)