Parktown High School for Girls dress mannequin in dignity this women’s month
A Johannesburg school has welcomed an interactive artwork created from hundreds of written messages of affirmation and hope from and for women.
Parktown High School for Girls received the Dress Her in Dignity mannequin on September 4 as part of a social movement for women’s month by Latita Africa.
The initiative, powered by the organisation’s corporate social investment programme, invited women across South Africa and beyond, as well as students from Parktown High School for Girls, to share written words of affirmation, encouragement and hope. A Rosebank artist used the handwritten and virtual affirmations to then dress the mannequin.
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The mannequin represents the many women whose identities have, at different points in their lives, been diminished by labels, criticism, exclusion, rejection and broken narratives.
“At the heart of this movement was ubuntu,” said Latita Africa chief operating officer Razael Manikus. “When one woman leads, she opens the way for others. When one woman is seen, another woman recognises her own value.”
Parktown High School for Girls learner Nicola Botha said that before the project, dignity meant a form of respect, but it now represented admiration for the voices heard through the project.
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“The message placed on the dress that affected me the most was ‘She is worthy’. It reminded me that my efforts still matter, even though the results aren’t always the best,” she said. “Creating something that represents women beyond the school feels powerful. I created something that made women feel heard.”
Nicola added she hoped women would remember their voices create an impact and that they should not be shy to speak up.
Parktown High School for Girls headmistress Gail Davidson said the initiative was appealing when Latita Africa approached the school.
“We are always appealing to our girls to be brave. For us, women’s month is every day. This was a perfect initiative to get our girls involved in.”
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