Television, movies, jounalism, advertising, toys, and books present a huge opportunity to stretch the collective imagination, showing women and men in nontraditional roles and changing the perception of what is possible in the real world. The images we present in culture transform who we are, what we might become and what we think.
The White House Project uses cultural stimuli to reframe the messages to our lives. Sometimes they are passing fads. Sometimes they are much more. Check out some of the ways we work to change the culture.
You can't be what you can't see. --Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president, The Children's Defense Fund
Commander in Chief
In the fall of 2005, history was made. Commander In Chief, the first prime time television show about a woman president, premiered on ABC to rave reviews from viewers across America. The show, starring Geena Davis as President, had the potential to turn the fiction of a woman president into reality by bringing the idea of women as president into American households at least one night a week.
The White House Project held large-scale screenings of the show around the country, and our constituents held watching parties throughout the season.
The 8 for '08 Campaign
In February 2006, we launched the 8 for '08 campaign to raise awareness about eight women who could be real contenders for the US Presidency.
Americans were invited to vote for their top choice for a 2008 presidential contender. The campaign was featured in PARADE magazine to coincide with Presidents’ Day.
Over 30,000 people cast their vote for a female presidential contender in the 8 for '08 campaign. The results were revealed in the April 2005 edition of PARADE magazine.
Ms.President Barbie
Mattel and The White House Project joined together in 2000 and 2004 to create Ms. President Barbie, a no-nonsense, business suit clad woman who gave little girls the idea that they, too, could be President.
Not everyone agreed that creating a doll was the right way to change young women's aspirations. "To make change, you've got to go where the people are," says Marie Wilson, one of the creators of the doll. "More and more girls think they're going to grow up to be president and call a join session of Congress because their dolls can."
The Ms. President Girl Scout Patch
In 2002, The White House Project created another way for girls to dream big. We partnered with the Girl Scouts of America to create the Ms. President Patch. The patch encourages girls to learn about government and study the women who are at the forefront of poltiical and social reform. Today, over 50,000 girls have received the Ms. President Patch.
