TALKING POINTS

There’s nothing like controversy and current events to kickstart conversation. Seize the day and get talking with your kids about these recent news stories…

Teenagers still gender stereotype career choices – despite parents’ encouragement (Express, 24/11/25)

“In a poll of 1,000 UK teens aged 13-17, 72% link some careers – such as those in construction and beauty – to a specific gender. Trade roles (eg being a plumber, bricklayer, mechanic or electrician) are seen as ‘men roles’ while hairdressers, childminders, receptionists and nurses are characterised as jobs for women. This is despite teens claiming they want to challenge gender perceptions – 76% say their generation is more accepting of breaking job-role norms – and 60% of parents supporting their kids having a career stereotyped for a different gender”

TALKING POINT List various professions and what gender you link them to Read the article >

Australian teenagers say they‘re finding a way around social media ban (Sky News, 10/12/25)

“The Australian government banned kids under 16 from accessing 10 social media apps – including TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat but not YouTube or WhatsApp – in order to stamp out cyberbullying and online addiction. But teens are outsmarting the ban by using VPNs or their parents’ accounts. Felix, age 14, says: ‘Everyone will find a way around it easily.’ Raphael Williams Veazey, who tricked his social media platform into thinking he was older, says kids can still be bullied in real life and thinks there shouldn’t be ‘an outright ban for everyone’. Will this nationwide social experiment will be enough to get kids off their devices and outdoors?”

TALKING POINT Name the pros & cons of an under-16s social media ban Read the article >

David Gandy takes aim at Peppa Pig for depicting dad as a “useless fool” (Metro, 30/11/25)

“In discussing masculinity and how men are portrayed in media, film and TV, UK supermodel David Gandy – who supports the Centre For Social Justice’s Lost Boys campaign to help

young men – said of the dad character in Peppa Pig: ‘Why are my children reading this book and the dad is a useless fool?’ Making mistaking that Mummy Pig wouldn’t, the father is often called ‘silly Daddy’ in the show, and he makes mistakes that Mummy Pig wouldn’t. Gandy said: ‘People tell me: [You define masculinity.“ I ask how. They say: “You’re into classic cars, suits and watches; you’re a skier.“ I say: “Yes, and also I do the washing, the cleaning, the school run”‘”

TALKING POINTS What do you think of Peppa Pig’s dad? And Gandy’s ideas? Read the piece >

Former Man City star says toxic online culture is steering boys in the wrong direction

(Daily Mirror, 3/12/25)

“The campaign Same Side aims to give young men a positive alternative to the manosphere, which promotes hostile views about gender and the roles of boys and men.

Ex Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha says: ‘In football you learn that it’s never

really about being the toughest guy in the room – it’s about how you support people. Real strength is about respect and life skills.’ Ex England rugby star Ugo Monye says: ‘Young lads are told that being a man means being angry or hard – but that path only leads to sadness. Being strong can mean resilience and empathy.’ UN Women UK CEO Tabitha Morton adds: ‘Online misogyny damages women, boys, all of us. If young men hear their heroes talk about vulnerability and teamwork, it opens up new conversations of what being a man really is’”

TALKING POINTS What influence do sports figures have on boys? Why? Read the article >

Serena Williams Says She “Didn’t Look Like” Other Athletes As a Teen (The Cut, 12/1/25)

“Ex tennis champion Serena Williams, age 44, struggled with body image when she was young, saying: ‘It was hard because my body was different. I had big boobs; I had a big butt. Every athlete was like super thin and beautiful, but in a different way. And I didn’t understand as an athlete how to deal with that.‘ Public scrutiny – she was body-shamed for having biceps and looking strong – ‘absolutely‘ affected her mentally: ‘You think you’re large and you look back and you’re like: “I was fit.” Yeah, I had big muscles. I didn’t look like these other girls but not everyone looks the same. I don’t really care what people say about my body anymore’”

TALKING POINT Has it changed for athletes since Williams was young? Read the article >

And finally: to discuss…

Lizzo gets candid on weight-loss journey in emotional essay (USA Today, 24/11/25)

“Singer LIZZO, age 37, wrote on Substack: ‘The old me would tend to binge when sad and depressed. I would order hundreds of dollars of food delivery and eat everything until my stomach felt like it would explode.

In my self-loathing and self-neglect I began to rot. As someone who sang about self-love it was hard to watch that happen to myself. So I decided to turn my extreme inaction to action.

My weight had been a protective shield, a joyful comfort zone and sometimes a superhero suit to protect me. My weight, like my hair, represented time. It stored energy. And I wanted to release myself from it.

The way I’ve been treated since I was introduced to the world as a confident, body-positive figure has been borderline emotional abuse. Nevertheless I made it work. I trolled obnoxious memes.

I was self-aware that I was the butt of every fat joke on the internet. I was sick and tired of my identity being overshadowed by my fatness. People could not see my talent as a musician because they were too busy accusing me of making “being fat” my whole personality.

Bigger girls are getting smaller because they’re tired of being judged. Now they’re being judged by the community they used to empower.

I didn’t say how much weight I released because I didn’t want anyone holding themselves to a standard.

There’s nothing wrong with living in a bigger body, with being fat. But if a woman wants to change, she should be allowed to.

Extended sizes are being magically erased from websites. Plus-sized models are no longer getting booked for gigs. Our big girls are not-so big anymore.

[I am] still a proud big girl at over 200lb. I want us to allow the body-positive movement to grow far away from the commercial slop it’s become’”

TALKING POINTS What do you think when you read what Lizzo wrote? Do you like her music and do you like her, and can you say why? If you don’t like her or her music, can you say why not? What do you think about Lizzo being defined by “fatness” rather than by her talent? Do you ever see plus-sized models? Are there bigger people in your family, at school, in your area? Are you aware of them being seen as different or being treated differently because of their size? Is there anything physical or emotional that you use as a “superhero suit” to protect yourself?