GTG-14 | J’s Story | NYC 2015

GTG asked: What is the main message of your story? 

My story is basically about what pretty is – you know society kind of gives a self-definition and then next week it’s a different definition. Girls feel like they need, you know, to change how they look – got to do this, they got to do that, you know what society thinks is pretty.

GTG asked: What would you like young women to take away? 

I want people to feel that everyone is pretty in their own way; you know it does not have to be... [trails off]. Everyone is beautiful.

GTG asked: Is this violence?

Yes violence is violence with words you know it doesn’t have to be physical it’s like verbal abuse. Some people you know especially girls between that age 18 years just growing up, you don’t really, you probably don’t find yourself yet, and any little thing can trigger you. You know, somebody calls you ugly and you just like, “Oh my gosh!” know I used to be like that in high school. 

GTG-13 | X’s Story | NYC 2015

GTG asked: What is the main message of your story? 

Bulimia is an addiction like drugs or alcohol... I became obsessed with losing weight. I never thought enough was enough. ...I never felt like “I’m enough”.  When I looked in the mirror I didn’t see myself as a 00. I saw myself like I’m still 150lbs when I was really 115lbs. [One night] when I saw tooth marks on my hand, when I was done throwing-up, I looked in the mirror and said, “What am I doing to myself why am I doing this?”... This was about violence toward myself, violence toward my body. If I continued to do it now I probably would not be here.

GTG asked: What would you like young women to take away? 

God put you in this world to accomplish goals and help people and be happy. Not to hurt yourself or put yourself in danger or risk your life for something so little.

GTG-12 | T’s Story | NYC 2015

GTG asked: Tell us a little about your story? What motivated you?

The main point of my story is don’t feel like you’re alone, cause there’s a lot of people out there that feel the same way I feel, as I told in my story. … Don’t make the mistake I did of letting someone tell you you’re different cause you start feeling insecure. I had a lot of topics [to talk about], but was like, wait I know there’s going to be that one topic people are going to feel part of cause I know there’s a lot of people out there that feel lonely or misplaced or whatever. So I wanted to do a story I thought everyone would feel part of.

GTG asked: What would you like young women to take away? 

Don’t let anyone tell you about you, because it puts you in a state of mind you do not want to be in. [T later thoughtfully added] I hope I contributed [to other young women] confidence, because if I was brave enough to say my story, maybe someone else out there will say, “Oh wait, maybe I’m not the only one”.

GTG asked: Is this violence?

My story shows emotional and verbal violence cause the way I dress and still I was constantly told that it’s not normal you should not be that way. And I always hear that comment “Oh it’s a phase,” and it gets kind of annoying because being you is not a phase, it’s who you are.

GTG-11 | L’s Story | NYC 2015

GTG asked: What is the main message of your story? And, what would you like young women to take away?

There is a lot of teenagers and people that are undocumented and who have low self-esteem and you know … with guys for the wrong reason. So I think it will be like, “Hey I’m not alone there is somebody else out there that went through it.” And … better herself because of what she is been…

GTG asked: Is this violence?

I used my body to feel love or, I mean, it was not violence like you know like physical, but in a sense it was a physical violence too because I was using my body to make other people happy; … I was not loving myself.

GTG-10 | V’s Story | SPB 2015

GTG asked: What is the main message of your story? 

The main point of my story is that people around me think that poetry is something for a man. I think this is not true and my goal is to prove them wrong.

GTG asked: What would you like young women to take away? 

I want them to understand that we should fight! That we should do something to show people that we are stronger than they think. 

GTG-09 | M’s Story | SPB 2015

GTG asked: What is the main message of your story? 

The incident in my story happened not long time ago. It is a real story. I didn’t imagine it. I decided to share with other girls what had happened to me. The main point of the story is that there is a stereotype that men should pay for women. I think it’s outdated and needs to be broken. All people are equal now and independent -- so why does this idea exist? I am personally bothered and offended by it. 

GTG-08 | T’s Story | SPB 2015

GTG asked: Could you talk a little about making your story?

[T thoughtfully described making the story in Russian and here is part of her description translated] Technically it was very easy it took me 15 minutes to create a story, [but] emotionally it was difficult because although this took place long time ago emotions are still there. It was difficult to record myself and then watch it. But I think it was .... I don’t want people to be in similar situation, but things like this happen and [they] should understand that it’s important to talk to someone as soon as possible. … The experience of violence is a burden. … I only told my story to my husband before. Even my mom and dad don’t know anything about this incident. It was difficult to keep it to myself and you can’t perceive yourself in a normal way. 

GTG asked: What would you like young women to take away?

I would like that people who are in a similar situation [to be able to] disengage themselves from their story and find the strength to discuss it with someone else, to not feel so lonely.

GTG-07 | N's Story | SPB 2015

GTG asked: What is your story about?

This is the story of a woman I interviewed. She told me about her own experience growing up and this experience struck me. The final part was about her work place. The ICT (technology) sphere is very, if not the most, male dominated sphere in the whole world of work (in Russia). This woman entered this world and this workplace and faced a lot of jokes about women and a lot of discrimination. This discrimination was not direct rather indirect, and it was done in the form of jokes and in the form of social exclusion. This woman talked about her troubles with communication with colleagues, she talk about troubles with her boss, and how it was hard for her to be a good worker and also to be a woman – she would not play both roles together in the same place. It was great pressure for her to be a woman and a woman in this workplace. I think the story is very typical and is nothing particular or unique. It is a very typical experience of a women who enters this field. That is why I wanted to share this experience.

GTG asked: What is the main idea of your story? 

She is trying to resist the system, she is trying to resist the pressure that is put on her. This is probably the main idea of the story. At the end she is trying to say no I don’t want to live in these conditions and I don’t want to live in this work place I will do something else. 

GTG-06 | L's Story | NYC 2015

GTG asked: What is the main message of your story? 

The main message of my story is this situation. I’m not the only one that’s been through it, I’m sure there are a lot of other women [that this has happened to]. I also have a little sister and who knows what she going to do when she gets older; she is going the same thing I did, you know get on a train and go to NYC, and not think about how the night is going to turn out. So maybe if I show her this story it will stay in her mind for a time when she is about to make a wrong decision like I did. She will think about it again, and say OK well maybe this isn’t such a good idea, let’s just go to dinner or whatever instead of going out with these people.

GTG asked: What do you want young women to relate to?

Decision making. Every decision you make it’s going to . . . [L thoughtfully pauses], definitely decision making, think before you act, think your night through.