FRIDAY, 07 OCTOBER 2016
UK
Girls urged to follow Cleopatra not Kimmie
A leading head teacher has
some advice for her female
students: there are better role
models than Kim Kardashian
West. Look no further, she says,
than the plays of Shakespeare.
Is she right?
She is one of the richest and most famous
women in the world. Beautiful and seductive,
she carefully controls her own image with
exquisite clothes and jewellery. Other women
adore her. Many powerful men fall in love with
her; others dismiss her as a ‘whore’. She is
strong, confident, self-absorbed — and
determined that no one will bring her down.
No, this is not Kim Kardashian West. It is
Shakespeare’s Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt.
And when young girls are looking for role
models, they should look to her, says Jane
Lunnon, a leading British headteacher.
‘Cleopatra shows that you can be both flawed
and brilliant,’ she explains.
She was speaking about her new project to
teach girls the merits of Shakespeare’s
heroines, who ‘wield power and influence in a
man’s world.’ The idea came after her students
named Kim Kardashian West and Taylor Swift
as their biggest role models. ‘I just thought
there is something concerning about this,’ she
Q&A
Q: I’m a boy. Should I care about this?
A: Yes — women and girls are important!
Around 93% of girls aged 11 to 21 say that
they are judged more on their appearance
than their ability — that’s a huge, worrying
Role models: Kim Kardashian West as herself (left) and Kim Catrall as Cleopatra in 2012 (right)
said.
Kim Kardashian West shot to fame after a
sex tape was leaked without her permission in
2007. Later that year, the first episode of her
family’s reality show Keeping Up With The
Kardashians aired. Since then she has
released perfumes, apps, a fashion line, and a
book of hundreds of selfies. She is the fifth
most followed celebrity on Instagram, ninth on
Twitter, and worth over $53m.
But ‘look at Rosalind, look at Beatrice, look
at Viola,’ proclaims Mrs Lunnon. Those are true
heroines, with ‘the capacity in challenge and
dilemma and pain, to love, to be vivacious, to
be resourceful, to be resilient... It’s not that
terrible things happen to them, it’s how they
respond.’
These are crucial questions. Last week, a
survey found that young women are at the
highest risk of mental health issues in England.
Another found that girls as young as seven feel
pressure to ‘be perfect’. Positive role models
majority, and it implies that it is a problem with
the current society we live in. That won’t
entirely be about who they idolise. But it’s one
place to start.
Q: I’m a girl. Why does it matter who I look up
to?
A: It’s entirely up to you of course, and different
THEDAY.CO.
are key to improving their self-esteem. But
where should they find them?
‘Though she be but little, she is fierce’
In Shakespeare, insists Mrs Lunnon. These are
some of the most complex and iconic women
in literature. They defied society’s conventions
by refusing to stay silent. They survived
shipwrecks, ruled empires, and railed against
the sexism which surrounded them. After 400
years we are still captivated by their stories;
they have a lot left to teach us.
Hang on, say Kardashian fans. Those are
fictional women made up by a dead old man,
and their stories all end in marriage or death.
Kim is a real person who took an awful
experience and eventually built a multi-million
dollar career for herself. She has taken full
control of her life in a male-dominated world.
What could be more inspirational than that?
people can be inspirational for all sorts of
reasons. But those who are concerned about
Kim Kardashian West fear that she is
encouraging girls to prioritise their looks and
wealth above all else. If true, this is unhelpful
— being happy, confident and sure of your
abilities are all more important.
 YOU DECIDE
1. Is Kim Kardashian West a good role model
for girls?
2. Are Shakespeare’s female characters still
relevant in the 21st century?
WORD WATCH
Fifth – She has 84 million followers on
Instagram. Only Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift,
Beyonce, Ariana Grande have more.
Ninth – She has 48 million followers on
Twitter, making hers the 11th highest account
(including the official Twitter and YouTube
accounts).
$53 million – According to Forbes, as of
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Notes
ACTIVITIES
1. Who is your biggest female role model?
Create a short presentation which explains
your choice to the rest of your class.
2. Choose one of Shakespeare’s heroines and
rewrite her story in 2016.
December 2015.
Rosalind – From As You Like It, Rosalind is one
of Shakespeare’s strongest heroines. She is as
intelligent and witty as she is beautiful, and
dominates the entire play.
Beatrice – From Much Ado About Nothing,
Beatrice is a funny and sharp heroine who
refuses to marry for convention’s sake.
Viola – From Twelfth Night, Viola survives a
shripwreck and dresses as a man in order to
SOME PEOPLE SAY...
‘It doesn’t matter if you have a valentine or not
— just love yourself and be your own.’
Kim Kardashian West
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
find a job and make her own way in the world.
Highest risk – The National Study of Health
and Wellbeing found that 26% of women in this
age group had symptoms of common mental
health disorders, compared to 9% of young
men.
Seven – The 2016 Girls’ Attitudes Survey
found that 23% of girls aged seven to ten felt
pressure to be perfect, and 38% felt they were
not pretty enough. This rose to 66% for 11- to
21-year-olds.