Giving a new meaning to the classic ’96 hit “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls, international nonprofit Project Everyone is inspiring girls and women everywhere to demand what they need from leaders—whether it’s equal opportunity for education or a justice system where six months in prison isn’t even an option for rapists—and they’ve inspired a movement.
The ambition of Project Everyone, which was created in light of the United Nations’ global goals to solve world problems such as extreme poverty and climate change by 2030, is “to share the global goals with all 7 billion people on this planet.” This video focuses on goal No. 5, gender equality.
“Yesterday the video went viral… today the movement begins. Post a photo and tell YOUR world leader what YOU want for women & girls before it’s too late!” says The Global Goals on its Facebook page.
Since the video went up about 24 hours ago, it’s reached millions of views. The top comments range from critiques of the bodies featured in the video as too mainstream and fans professing their grand love for the Spice Girls. It’s true that most of the women depicted in the video are thin, athletic, and able-bodied, but do we have to focus on their appearance in order to deem the video worthwhile? Is it not at all possible to both celebrate the diversity and be aware that its impossible to represent all women in one minute and 24 seconds?
The women starring in the video make up British girl group M.O., with Taylor Hatala from Canada, Larsen Thompson from the U.S., Gigi Lamayne and Monoea from South Africa, Seyi Shay from Nigeria, and Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez from Sri Lanka. That’s a pretty diverse group by our standards.
My favorite shot of the video is of a classroom full of eager young girls ready to learn and excited for knowledge. It depicts conflict that females face in different parts of the world, showing that depending on where you are, being a woman comes with different challenges. There’s no one universal issue that we can all stand behind—each of these affects us in different ways. But when one woman is hurt by sexism, we’re all hurt by it, regardless of whether or not we deal with it in our personal lives.
Plus, they’re adorable, in the “I can kick your ass in physics, engineering and rhetorical analysis” kind of way.
The Global Goals has inspired women to use the hashtag #WhatIReallyReallyWant to share their goals and aspirations and inspire social change. In the video, some of what women want include equal pay for equal work, to end violence against all girls, an end to child marriage, and quality education for all girls.
Young & POWERFUL @tayd_dance & @larsenthompson are using GIRL POWER to change the world… #WhatIReallyReallyWant pic.twitter.com/PXNPDvkZEw
— The Global Goals (@TheGlobalGoals) July 6, 2016
Watch the full video below, and share what you want for women everywhere with #WhatIReallyReallyWant.
Top photo via Project Everyone
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