“Look, the life of your dreams is beyond that cliff…”

Slide 1 (Hook)

“Look, the life of your dreams is beyond that cliff…”

Olivia Rodrigo warns against modern-day “Serena Joys” in her Daisy Chain Fields Fund charity single

Visual: Photo of Olivia Rodrigo performing to a large crowd at the festival. “Swipe left” indicator at the bottom right.

Slide 2

Who is Serena Joy?

She is a character from Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale who is married to a conservative government official working in a religious dictatorship which has stripped women of their basic human rights. She promotes the “traditional” values which drive this oppressive society, only to eventually trap herself in them as well.

Visual: Photo of women showing their pins to the camera.

Slide 3

Not Entirely Fiction

Atwood heavily based her character on a person living in our own dystopian society: Phyllis Schlafly, a conservative activist who led a movement against the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. She used her own voice and political freedom to tell other women to give up theirs.

Visual: Photo of women walking together, carefree and happy.

Slide 4

History Repeats Itself

On January 27, 2020, Virginia became the 38th and final state needed to ratify the ERA, yet we still haven't added it to our Constitution. Political and social opposition have questioned its redundancy, expired deadlines, and whether it would lead to the loss of “traditional” family structures.

Visual: Photo showing the large crowds at the festival.

Slide 5

Oppression as Tradition?

As is the case in Atwood's dystopia, “tradition” is merely a disguise for “oppression” in our own society. The ERA would guarantee equal rights for all U.S. citizens regardless of sex, and explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. Anyone who cares about women and the LGBTQIA+ community, and doesn't just seek to control them, should support the ERA.

Visual: Photo of people leaving handwritten notes on the wish trees.

Slide 6

Women's Voices Are Still Being Attacked Today

• Trump's SAVE Act intends to require documentary proof of citizenship to vote, making it difficult for married women whose names do not match their birth certificates.
• The biblical patriarchy movement has pushed a head-of-household voting system into mainstream conversations, where one person (intended to be a man) would vote on behalf of the household, forcing women to submit to the will of their husbands, fathers, uncles, brothers, etc.

Visual: Photo of women smiling at each other.

Slide 7

“Women have two choices: Either she's a feminist or a masochist.”

—Gloria Steinem, American journalist and social activist who was a leader for the second-wave feminist movement and a co-founder of Ms. magazine

Visual: Photo of people's hands in the air against the blue skies.

Slide 8 (Call to Action)

We Will Not Let Them Take Our Voices

We need to guarantee the voice of every person is heard no matter who they are or how they identify. Help us bring more people's attention to the ERA and sign our Pledge to Claim the 28th Amendment.

Visual: Photo of two women resting on each other at the festival.