Teen girls have few Canadian heroes

Retailer finds 43% can't name one they admire

Saturday April 15, 2000
Patricia Bailey
The Ottawa Citizen

Hey sister, name your female role model -- and she has to be Canadian.

If the results of a cross-Canada survey by The Body Shop Canada are any indication, many young women -- 43 per cent -- can't name a single Canuck they admire or want to emulate.

A disappointing result, admits Sorya Ingrid Gaulin, 31, who conducted what she says is a "statistically sound" survey of 800 Body Shop customers between March and December 1999. Women of all ages were asked questions about their self-esteem and body image, said Ms. Gaulin from her office in Toronto yesterday.

An informal survey of the young women browsing in the dewberry scented toiletries store at Ottawa's Rideau Centre yesterday confirmed these abysmal findings -- with a few notable exceptions.

"Julia Roberts," said Fiona Weber, 15, a Grade 10 student wearing a blue T-shirt adorned with a white teddy bear decal.

"Is Sally Field Canadian?" she asked, turning to the group of six teens she huddled with inside the store. None of the teens had a Canadian female role model, although Drew Barrymore and Ms. Roberts were mentioned a number of times before they giggled their way back out into the mall.

"Shania Twain or Gwyneth Paltrow," said Theresa Cuddihny, 17, a wiry, bespectacled high school student who had to think for a few minutes before she came up with a Canadian. The fact that Ms. Paltrow isn't Canadian didn't prevent Theresa from expressing her admiration for the American actress's slender body and the fact that she "always looks good at awards shows."

Ms. Twain was also the Canadian role model for Theresa's friend, Adriana Brito, 18, who sat patiently while a Body Shop clerk adorned her eyelids with azure shadow.

"She wears what she wants," said Ms. Brito, clad in a synthetic cherry coloured tank-top and sleek bell-bottoms. Both Theresa and Adriana hope to make their careers in television journalism.

While most of the young women surveyed in the store were hard-pressed to name a woman they admired that wasn't a skinny American actress, a group of five bright-eyed Grade 9 students together chimed "Laura Hannant," when asked who they most admired. Laura is not a model or country singer, but a 14-year-old activist who is their friend and fellow student at Lisgar Collegiate.

Laura is a well-travelled anti-child labour activist who went to India and met Mother Teresa and later started an Ottawa branch of Craig Kielburger's organization, Free the Children.

"She's in Sweden now at a children's award ceremony," said Adrianna Yanishewsky, 14 with pride.

Adrianna and her friends, most of whom said they want to make careers out of their desire to help children, are also impressed with the work of Hilda Pearce, who started Project Hope, a program at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario to help child victims of cancer and their families.

"I admire people who do something because they care about it, not just to look good," said Adrianna, while her friends nodded in agreement.

In response to their finding that young Canadian women don't have role models, The Body Shop Canada has compiled a role model list to "raise awareness of incredible Canadian women."

Among the 19 women found in a purple pamphlet called Women We Admire are pioneer feminist Nellie McClung, nationalist Maude Barlow, singer Sarah McLachlan and journalist/broadcaster June Callwood

In honour of the company's 20th anniversary, customers from across Canada are asked to nominate a woman from their own communities for the 20th spot. The selected women will be announced in the fall.