Roadmap_Strong Female Character

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Classify the events in this folder into the different stages we go through as we grow. To do so, drag the number to the corresponding box. Then, in groups, discuss one event of her life you consider relevant and indicate when it happened.

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Picture by Pinterest via https://ar.pinterest.com/pin/4503668370715337/

This tattoo depicts a person hugging a book, symbolizing Fern Brady’s lifelong affinity for literature. Brady learnt several social cues and human behaviours she did not understand at first through the reading of novels. Besides, her books served as shields during her school years. For instance, she used to eat lunch while reading books in the bathroom in order to avoid the bright lights and loud noises of the school canteen, which made her feel uncomfortable. This deep connection to books has persisted throughout her whole life. As an adult, she could find solace in writing a memoir in which she could express all the pain she suffered all these years. Besides, she considers this memoir a powerful tool to educate others about autism in women. This delicate drawing in ink, in a way, represents all her inner fights and her strong desire to change the world for the better.

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TEXT-TO-WORLD connection Fern Brady’s memoir can be connected with another woman’s experience: Reese Piper’s, which was mentioned in Brady’s book. Both of them have been late-diagnosed with autism, have worked in a strip club, and have written a memoir. As opposed to Fern's path towards her diagnosis, Reese she could recognise her autism thanks to her job as a stripper since “it built a dichotomy in [her] head” (Sage, 2023). She realised that it was easy to socialise in the club but not in the outside world. This is probably because the social interactions in this place were so prescribed that it was easy for her to know how to act. Similarly, Fern studied social codes to act as their workmates in the club and doing this job ended up being kind of attainable for her. Do you think this job can actually help autistic people to recognise their diagnosis or does it make them more vulnerable to being exploited?TEXT-TO-MEDIA connection Fern Brady’s memoir can be directly related to the very well-known song “Unstoppable” by Sia. Its lyrics are related to showing oneself as a strong and powerful person and can be interpreted as constantly masking one’s feelings and behaviour. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that this singer has been late-diagnosed with autism too, so we can read these verses as a representation of her way of dealing with this unknown diagnosis. Sia mentions that when she has a breakdown, she waits to be alone to cry; this is very similar to the meltdowns Brady talks about. The artist states in her song that “[she has] heard that to let your feelings show is the only way to make friendships grow”.Do you agree with this idea of showing ourselves vulnerable with others to strengthen our relationships?

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EXPLANATION

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See the activity here

Todxs tenemos derecho a gozar de una salud sexual y reproductiva libre, con información y sin discriminación ni violencia. Click HERE to find all the information you need.

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Argentina.gob.ar. (2002, November 22). Argentina.gob.ar. https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/79831/texto Barrera, K. H. (2022, August 15). ¿Ser stripper es divertido? Ella revela la verdad en TikTok. Sdpnoticias. https://www.sdpnoticias.com/sorprendente/ser-stripper-es-divertido-ella-revela-la-verdad-en-tiktok/ Brady, F. (2023). Strong female character: The Sunday Times Bestseller. Hachette UK. Brun, G., & Cossu, P. (2023). How to incorporate Comprehensive Sexuality Education in your classes. Macmillan education. Fern Brady | Champions Speakers. (n.d.). https://champions-speakers.co.uk/speaker-agent/fern-brady Gentil, A. (2023, August 7). El caso Maju Lozano: autismo en la adultez. Noticias. https://noticias.perfil.com/noticias/ciencia/autismo-en-la-adultez-un-tema-invisibilizado.phtml Métodos anticonceptivos. (2023, July 10). Argentina.gob.ar. https://www.argentina.gob.ar/salud/sexual/metodos-anticonceptivos Ministerio de Salud Argentina. 3. Acceso a métodos anticonceptivos. (n.d.). https://msal.gob.ar/index.php/component/content/article/46-ministerio/200-33-acceso-a-metodos-anticonceptivos#:~:text=Cada%20persona%20tiene%20derecho%20a,p%C3%BAblicos%20de%20todo%20el%20pa%C3%ADs Pacheco, C. (2023, April 14). Triste noticia. Murió Nora Schiavoni, una de las decanas del stand up en Buenos Aires. LA NACION. https://www.lanacion.com.ar/espectaculos/teatro/triste-noticia-murio-nora-schiavoni-una-de-las-decanas-del-stand-up-en-buenos-aires-nid14042023/ Sage, J. (2023, September 8). Stripping helped autistic woman notice the dichotomy between her club persona and autistic self. Pittsburgh City Paper. https://www.pghcitypaper.com/columns/stripping-helped-autistic-woman-notice-the-dichotomy-between-her-club-persona-and-autistic-self-16509835 Salud sexual y reproductiva. (2023, January 17). Argentina.gob.ar. https://www.argentina.gob.ar/salud/sexual?_ga=2.70629974.75992978.1693751891-1662451065.1693751891 Sia. (2021, September 27). Sia - Unstoppable (Official Video - Live from the Nostalgic For The Present Tour) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaEG2aWJnZ8

REFERENCES

1. She started working on her meltdowns with her therapist Sue.
2. She experienced a feeling she didn’t have words for and called it ‘The Bad Feeling of Life’.
3. She started working as a stripper in various clubs because she needed money to support her studies.
4. She was best friends with a tree, to whom she felt a strong connection and liked spending time with.
5. After hopelessly doing hundreds of gigs in little English pubs, she became a well-known stand-up comedian.
6. She was taken to a mental unit as a result of a misdiagnosis. There, she met other girls who suffered from different mental health issues.
7. She received a late autism diagnosis. When she told her dad, he seemed indifferent.
8. She was taken advantage of by an elderly couple she met online. They picked her up and took her to their home where they had a threesome.
9. She was in an abusive relationship. Her boyfriend, John, strangled her and tried to kill her with a pillow. She filed a statement at the police station for attempted murder.
10. Her favourite teacher was sacked because he was an alcoholic and she fell into a deep depression. Consequently, she experienced academic failure and attempted suicide.

This task is a while-reading activity aimed at helping students who read Fern Brady’s memoir to reconstruct the plot and obtain a clear chronological organisation of the events in Brady’s life. They have to read all the statements (1-10) and decide to which life stage they belong to (Childhood - Teenage years - Early adulthood - Adulthood). After doing this, they have to discuss orally an extra life event they deem relevant and should appear in this exercise as a central event.

CHILDHOOD: 2, 4 , AND 10TEENAGE YEARS: 6 AND 8EARLY ADULTHOOD: 3 AND 9ADULTHOOD: 1, 5, AND 7

1. The conversation takes place in a doctor’s office between a gynaecologist and an autistic female teen patient. She’s asking for a contraceptive injection). 2. The contraceptive injection releases the hormone progestogen into your bloodstream to prevent pregnancy. Other contraceptive methods: condoms, pills, IUD, contraceptive implant. The only method that prevents STD is the condom. 3. According to Argentina’s Ministry of Health webpage, free methods of birth control include intrauterine devices (IUDs), lactation contraceptives, birth control pills, injectables, hormonal emergency contraception, and condoms. Since 2011, the rapid pregnancy test is also for free. 4. These are questions open to interpretation; therefore, there is not one right answer. Possible topics that may arise include issues like intra-familial sexual abuse or the absence of parental consent for starting a sexual life. However, after discussing the last question, students will be advised to trust their parents and tell them their decisions, but they will also be reminded that, according to Law 25673, they have the right to access this information without the permission of an adult at any age. 5. The patient gets information based on research she conducted herself. Information on contraceptive methods should be provided by any member of the Public Health System and by schools. You can also access the government’s website for more official information. Additionally, well-informed parents can also provide their children with this type of information.

We have chosen the following hashtags to illustrate the possible interpretations of the ending of Brady's memoir: #AllisticMaskingWorks #AutisticPride #AutismInWomenMatters

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The hashtag #AutismInWomenMatters highlights the importance of acknowledging and satisfying neurodivergent women’s needs. In her final reflection, the author of “Strong Female Character” (2023) expresses her desire to encourage allistic people to make things better for autistic women through tiny but meaningful changes. This hashtag, then, can invite neurodiverse users to raise awareness of the difficulties the autistic community usually faces and create a more empathetic environment where issues such as hypersensitivity and meltdowns are not labelled as bad behaviour, anger or madness, but as what they truly are. (89 words)

“All I can do is keep talking about it and hope you’ll then go and make things feel better for the next autistic or misfit girl you meet” (Brady, 2023)

This activity is aimed at high school students in Argentina who, according to the National CSE program, “have the right to receive aged-appropriate, updated, and scientifically validated information” (Brun & Cossu, 2023, p.3). This task is thought for 3rd-year secondary school students since they are able to carry out some research on their own. Furthermore, they are old enough to develop critical thinking skills related to this topic. Designed to take part in an English as a foreign language lesson (intermediate level), this 40-minute activity consists of reading an extract from the memoir Strong Female Character by Fern Brady. After reading it, students will be asked to get in groups and discuss a set of guiding questions to critically assess the author’s experience and reflect upon the information they have as regards contraceptive methods. While sharing their answers, some important information concerning their sexual health rights and reproductive choices will be given to them (see the key below). We expect this set of questions to arouse students’ curiosity and to raise doubts about the topic, which we will be ready to answer. Considering that probably not every student is well-informed at home, we firmly believe that this task is extremely relevant since it assesses students’ knowledge and provides them with information about their sexual rights. By presenting a relatable teenager’s real-life experience, students can feel identified and engaged in the discussion of the topic, and even willing to participate and share their own concerns about the subject.

If Fern Brady visited Argentina, she’d find several pieces of news interesting, such as “Maju Lozano’s case: autism in adulthood”. This piece is about the case of Lozano, who received an autism spectrum diagnosis at the age of 51, among other diagnosed people’s testimonies. With an increasing number of adult women being diagnosed with this condition, Argentina has begun discussing the issue of misdiagnosis. This would be relevant to Brady, who has also denounced the misinformation about autism in women. She would also read the news of the passing of the Argentinian stand-up comedian, Nora Schiavoni. Not only was Schiavoni considered one of the best Argentinian comedians, but her performances addressed feminist issues, something Brady would be really interested in, as her own comedy material touches on social issues. Finally, she’d enjoy reading “Is being a stripper fun?”, as she used to work in a strip club. Here, “Nanu”, an Argentinian TikToker, explains the disadvantages of being a stripper, and the importance of being cautious. Brady would probably compare her experience with Nanu’s after examining this article.

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