TRUE or FALSE? No one makes passes at girls who wear glasses

Each year, I try to do at least one project  in recognition of Women’s History Month.  This time, I was determined to reach out to young people.   I spent four hours in a cafe on the campus of Westchester Community College, chatting with both men and women about the many ways in which our culture encourages women to define themselves primarily by their appearance.  I started each conversation by sharing my own early adolescent experiences, and then I allowed each participant to speak freely — for as long as he or she wished.  I was pleased that a number of students talked to me for 15 minutes or more, and I felt that these were rich and meaningful discussions.

At the end of each encounter, I explained that my performance was part of an on-going series that I have developed as a reaction against our growing tendency to use screens as a mode of interacting with others.  This performance – like the others of its kind — involved face-to-face interaction.  My goal is to remind people of the power and beauty of direct human interaction!