By Zia Stocker

The HeForShe Club, in collaboration with Speak Up and Film Club, invited a group of panelists to have a discussion on the “Portrayals of female sexuality in the media and its Effect on Real Life”. The discussion was prompted by the need to have more contemporary discussions on gender issues.

Among the distinguished panelists were Professor Catherine Ndungo, an Associate Professor in the Department of Kiswahili at Kenyatta University; Hillary Ongili, a wellness advocate and founder of THE UNSPOKEN platform for advocacy; Dr. Josephine Gitome, a professor at Kenyatta University specializing in Church History and World Religions; and Ms. Wairimu Munyinyi-Wahome, the Executive Director of the Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW).

The discussion yielded great insight into how portrayals of women and their sexuality in all forms of media - including movies, literary works, and social media - detrimentally affects their mental and physical health, their emotional wellbeing, and their perceptions of self-worth.