TWF, the Centre for Comparative & Public Law and the Women's Studies Research Centre at the University of Hong Kong brought together leaders and change makers from the NGO, social service and education sectors to the Community Screening of "She Objects" followed by a panel discussion on the role of education in promoting critical thinking on media creation and consumption.
Dr KK Chan, Education Bureau, James Mok,Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups M21, Professor Stephen Chiu, CUHK, George Chen,Facebook and Kylie Lui, an HKU student sat on a panel discussing the media’s portrayal of women.
Professor Peter Mathieson, President of HKU, welcomed guests to the Community Screening of She Objects.
Kylie Liu described the media pressure on girls to conform to a single standard of beauty, and spoke about her experience as a victim of stereotyping and how her speaking out brought out resentment from male students.
George Chen: “Freedom is not the same as a licence to be stupid.”
James Mok: “Before we looked at compensated dating through a consumerism lens but now we have to weigh the internet’s impact.”
Professor Stephen Chiu: “We have to recognise different views on whether media is the cause or mirror of social issues.”
Dr KK Chan: “Media ethics should not just be a curriculum topic but a way of life, and we have opportunities to revamp our sex education materials to make them more contemporary and resonate with youth.”
Dr Staci Ford, HKU: The narrative regarding the media’s portrayal of women is no longer dominated by the West.
A round of applause to Rita Ching for doing a fantastic job of moderating the panel discussion.
