"Feminism is important to me because a few months ago a guy decided for me that I wanted to have sex with him. I didn't want to."
A video made by Sydney Boys High stating why feminism matters has made waves online after being shared from the "Prefects of Sydney High" Facebook on Monday.
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Students of Sydney Boys High School present a video as part of a week-long campaign at the school to examine gender equality and how feminism affects both men and women. Produced by Ronald Luo.
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'Feminism is important to me because...'
Students of Sydney Boys High School present a video as part of a week-long campaign at the school to examine gender equality and how feminism affects both men and women. Produced by Ronald Luo.
The video, titled "Feminism is Important To Us" was made as part of a series of events revolving around International Women's Day at the school, and shows students repeating the reasons why feminism is important to the women in their lives.
The idea was first discussed last year with teachers and the school leadership body and resulted in the boys gathering nearly 100 quotes from women, including teachers, friends, sisters and mothers. The boys then read out some of the quotes - such as the one above - to camera with responses varying from confronting stories about women being told that they were too flat chested, that they're not smart enough to be an economist, to their experiences of being sexually violated and galvanising quotes about wanting equal opportunity to pursue their dreams.
Other quotes included one from a girl who was told by her father that "I should be ashamed of my body and I had thunder thighs," and another from someone who said at work she was called a "b--ch rather than a leader."
School captain Hugh Bartley, who was involved in the video, says it is part of a week-long campaign at the school to examine gender equality and how feminism affects both men and women.
"The video is actually part of a wider campaign running at school ... to promote gender equal values within the school to get boys thinking about feminism and the role of men and women in society and what they can do to influence that in a positive way," he says.
Bartley says "while not a perfect video" the response has been "unbelievable" and wildly beyond what they had imagined. He says the positive reactions have vastly outnumbered any negative reactions. Pushback has included comments that the boys shouldn't be speaking on behalf of women's experiences and that they didn't acknowledge that men are also impacted by the patriarchy.
It's a point that Bartley acknowledges, saying that one of the reasons the video has made an impact is the "incongruity" of the boy's speaking about very female lived experiences. It has, he says, a shock value that would hopefully get people talking. Bartley also acknowledges that, sadly, when men speak, people tend to listen.
"As young men [we are] using our privilege and platform to express desires for gender equality, and men to be more considerate of women in everyday lives," he says.
The week has also included workshops for the junior boys at the school on how gender stereotypes impact boys and girls including ideas around "toxic masculinity" and where feminism fits in with dismantling those ideas.
Sydney Boys High principal Dr. Kim Jaggar said the drive for the video came from the school leadership group and is part of a push for discussing gender equality.
"Their video was a demonstration to our students that women's equality is a men's issue. They have a project to raise awareness about inequality in school life and in the wider community. An Equality Committee, made up of representatives from all years, was introduced at the assembly on Monday where the video was also shown to the boys. It was well received and has since attracted a substantial online viewing audience," he says.
Bartley says that he hopes gender equality is something that is discussed "not just on International Women's Day but 365 days a year."
Making the video, he says, was a reminder to keep up the efforts and to keep taking steps to reach gender parity, "something that all young men of future generations need to talk about."