Breakaway
What is internalised misogyny?
Internalised misogyny is the involuntary acceptance and internalization by women of sexist attitudes and stereotypes that devalue and discriminate against them.
While internalised misogyny can affect individuals of all genders, it is particularly impactful on women and girls.
Short-term Implications:
Lowered self-esteem and self-worth.
Internal conflict between societal expectations and personal beliefs.
Reinforcement of harmful gender stereotypes.
Long-term Implications:
Limiting career aspirations and personal growth.
Hindering the ability to form healthy relationships.
Perpetuating harmful behaviors and attitudes towards oneself and others.
Previous efforts to address internalised misogyny
Educational Programs: Some educational programs have been developed to raise awareness about internalised misogyny and promote gender equality.
Media Campaigns: Media campaigns have been used to challenge traditional gender norms and promote positive female role models.
Community Initiatives: Community-based initiatives have been implemented to create supportive and inclusive environments that encourage critical thinking about gender roles.
Literature review and secondary research
Research Findings:
Studies have found that internalised misogyny is a complex and pervasive issue that impacts women's lives in profound ways.
Media Influence:
Media has been identified as a significant influence in perpetuating internalised misogyny through its portrayal of women.
Cultural and Societal Norms:
Cultural and societal norms play a role in shaping attitudes towards gender roles and expectations, contributing to the development of internalised misogyny.
Day to day implications
Unhealthy competition
Poor mental health and outlook of life
Body dysmorphia
Female rivalry
Anxiety
Victim blaming
How does the behaviour branch out?
Key Findings
Other Insights
In most instances, the behaviour is a cause of ‘fitting into society.’
Most respondents agreed that it began with the family and later perpetuated in other aspects of life
Male validation also plays a big factor. A number of girls also admitted they looked their own self through the male gaze which causes them self-esteem issues..
Either girls are not aware or are simply not ready to accept. Lack of awareness leads to the behaviour constantly being advocated and encouraged because there hasn’t been an intervention of sorts to question it.
Different people act in different ways so misogyny can sometimes be too subtle to detect or point out to.
Key Insight
Young girls are often seen undervaluing themselves and other girls because of the negative connotations attached to being a girl.
Big Idea
A safe space; allowing room for sharing and self reflecting that ultimately results in solidarity.
Objectives
Create awareness among young girls
Motivate them to begin the process of critical thinking regarding their behaviour and questioning the patriarchal values they may have internalised over the years.
Basic Gameplay
The board has paths on it indicating a START on each corner. All four players have their own START but the end is the same; the middle of the board: the utopia.
The players play by rolling the dice onto the board.
The paths are divided into different colours/symbols.
There are a total of 3 coloured squares on the paths.
Yellow indicates Situations Green indicates Questions Blue indicates Obstacle
These 3 colours actually represent 3 different card decks that the players will play/choose from when they land onto that square.
Winning is indicated by everyone finishing together at the End point. If one person finishes first, they still have to wait for others because you cannot enter the utopia by yourself.
Game Rules
The game can be played by 3-4 players.
Each player picks a character pawn they play throughout the game and starts the game on each corner.
You roll the dice to play.
You start as default on the first square and then move according to the outcomes on the cards.
You pick cards according to the coloured square you land on.
The game can only be finished when all players have collected 10 Points each and reach the end, in the center.
Set in a dystopian city; Breakaway is based on a quest of four young girls set out on a journey to prove themselves worthy of a feminist-utopian society they’ve grown up hearing about.
The young girls, throughout the game, have to undergo questions, challenges and obstacles thrown at them as a test set by a higher entity from the utopian-world.
Exposition
As part of the game, there was a short comic created to convey the exposition to situate the gameplay and provide the players a prologue narrative to the game.
Players can pick any one character they want to play as - in the game. These characters were modelled off actual women I know and have been around for some time. The idea was to have a diverse range of characters for players to choose from but based it off on real examples instead of fictional.
Dice + Coins to be collected on the way.
The Board shows 4 different pathways intersecting with one another and joining in the middle where the utopia exists. The path has been divided into rectangles based on 3 colours to represent the Situations, Questions and Obstacle cards.
The paths also have a gem icon on them in some places where the players can collect Experience coins.
