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HeForShe: the Teen Magazine Is Joining the Fight for Gender Equality

#HeForShe

August 01, 2020

I envision living in a world where each man is an advocate of women's rights and each woman is an advocate of men's rights. I envision living in a world where a woman's rights are considered human rights.

The fundamental problem of our society is not that gender inequality is not regarded as an issue, not that men and women all around the world are recognizing this humanitarian crisis. It is that people lack the motivation to fight this on-going issue. Because if you are not a woman in Malawi being forced to marry as a child or a victim of [censored] trafficking you may not understand the true significance of the problem.

Yet we must fight. He For She. She For He.

And The Teen Magazine is joining the fight.

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What is #HeForShe?

Established on September 20th, 2016 by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson, HeForShe is a global, gender solidarity movement generated by UNWomen. Emma Watson's #HeForShe launch speech is arguably one of the most heartening and inspirational speeches on gender solidarity.

What is the aim of #HeForShe?

He For She is a solidarity movement aiming to achieve gender equality in our lifetime. This campaign provides a systemic approach and targeted platform conducive to global movement on this issue, with one prerequisite from change agents: an innovative approach.

That entails that people, of all gender identities and expressions, acknowledge the benefits of an equal world. Because a world equal to men and women is not a world better for men or better for women. It is a world equal to all.

The HeForShe campaign is inviting people of every age, gender, nationality, race, to come to join arms. To unite, to fight for solidarity because equality can only be achieved through a collaborative effort.

Impact of the movement

And HeForShe has achieved in doing just that. From ending child marriage in Malawi to redefining masculinity in Jordan and challenging gender stereotypes in Iceland, the HeForShe campaign has meaningfully impacted the local and global reality regarding gender inequality. Gender solidarity has not yet been reached, but the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to appear.

With CEOs, Heads of States, government officials, university president, and so on, all committing to HeForShe, change is being made. And in 10 seconds you can contribute to the change being made.

Will you join others of millions of people who are fighting for gender solidarity?

Will you mark your presence in this global movement for gender solidarity?

Commit now to the HeForShe movement.

The Teen Magazine is Joining the Fight

As a young woman myself- having felt sexualized at certain points of my life, overlooked for opportunities because of my gender, being required to work that much harder to achieve the same thing that a man does- I believe that the fight for gender solidarity and equality should not be overlooked. Upon coming across the HeForShe campaign, I found that it was the ideal project, for me, to launch change.

No one is free until we are all free! Let’s harness the power of solidarity to create a free and equal world. #BlackLivesMatter #HeForShe pic.twitter.com/L9TNsHvF3K

— HeForShe (@HeForShe) July 11, 2020

I, then, pitched the idea of HeForShe to Mia Johansson, the Teen Magazine's editor in chief, and received a most supportive response. In reaching to the writers of the magazine, the willingness to be involved in the project was astounding. We then compiled a team of 11 writers, each undertaking a subject matter of either local or global significance that they believe has effectively influenced their life.

We teens are taking a stance. We are raising our voices on issues we regard as important. We are demanding change.

Our writers

The Teen Magazine community consists of teen writers from across the globe, therefore being conducive to a broad cultural variety in the themes each writer decided to undertake in HeForShe.

Noa Ran Ressler is an aspiring author and journalist with a passion for taking climate action and volunteering at her local animal shelter. When she is not writing haikus, you can find her practicing French, working on DIY projects, or watching crime TV shows. In her powerful article, she decided to delineate how school dress codes sexualize young girls.

Riyosha Sharma is a passionate poet who has recently graduated from high school. She is 17 and loves reading classics while drinking coffee in an imaginary, obscure, and cozy coffee shop. When she's not busy doing that, she likes to sing and write songs or poetry. Riyosha decided to raise her voice in writing an article under the title: "Acceptance of Female Body Hair and Why It Is More Important Than You Think".

Maria-Anna Maridi is currently a high-school freshman aspiring to travel the world and be a writer. Travel, reading, and writing are amongst Maria-Anna’s top interests. Due to her Greek heritage, Maria-Anna undertook writing an article about the origins of gender discrimination tracing back to Ancient Greece.

Katlyn Hunter is a college student currently getting her associates in generals but she wants to continue to get a Master in writing. Katlyn decided to raise awareness about the importance of self-love.

David Tejuhoso is a Nigerian who has had a passion for writing for as long as he could write. He moved to the United States in 2019 and is now a high school junior in the state of Georgia. He also loves gaming, science, and computers. Ikwuegbu Ihuoma is a very creative Nigerian teenager who writes almost anything from essays and articles, poems, fictional works, and even song lyrics.

She loves music, selfies, and all things intellectual. She also loves learning and meeting new people.

Drawing inspiration from an issue of local significance, David and Ikwuebgu approached the issue of gender solidarity through the lens of personal experience, in writing about Nigeria's Patriarchal system.

Jenna Legge is a Journalism and Law student at Carleton University, Ottawa. She has a passion for traveling, science, reading, fashion, and asking questions about the world around her. In her heartfelt article, Jenna wrote about a topic close to home: Period stigma in Canada.

Hanaa Yousof is a 17-year-old full-time student from the UK, taking Psychology, Media Studies & English Literature. As an avid reader & writer with an interest in social justice issues, she hopes to pursue an English degree and subsequent career in journalism and creative writing. Hanaa drew inspiration from her cultural background in writing about how women led the Sudanese uprising.

Harshita Bathina is a rising high school sophomore in the Bay Area. She enjoys all things creative, especially writing! In her free time, she loves to bowl, play tennis, and spend time with her family.

She aspires to research new topics in biology, chemistry, and delve into the controversies of politics. Drawing from current affairs, Harshita decided to raise her voice on the issue of colorism in societies around the world.

Nehaa Bimal is a former reporter and Entertainment editor for her high school newspaper and has loved writing since she was little. She is interested in slam poetry, natural photography, and singing and has travel experiences she’d love to share! Nehaa will be heading to college in the Fall to major in Journalism & Humanities. Nehaa contributed to the HeForShe project by raising her voice on why gender equality still matters.

Maria-Anna Maridis
100k+ pageviews

Writer since Apr, 2020 · 13 published articles

Travel, reading and writing are amongst Maria-Anna’s top interests. Maria-Anna is currently a high-school junior aspiring to travel the world and be a writer.

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