Critical Mass & Famous 5 Foundation Show #WomenBelong for Persons Day 2016

To commemorate Persons Day 2016, Global experience design agency Critical Mass worked with the Famous 5 Foundation to make the struggle for gender equality resonant and relevant for a young, digital audience.

“Thanks to the Famous Five, women are legally considered persons – entitling them to belong in any role their male counterparts do – but 87 years later women are still far from equally represented in many industries,” says Kathryn Nixon, Strategist at Critical Mass. “Our aim was to communicate the message of Persons Day in a way that not only resonates with today’s audiences, but also inspires them to do their part to buck gender stereotypes.”

Under the hashtag #WomenBelong, Critical Mass created 13 portraits with striking headlines, such as, “women belong in the kitchen,” and “women belong with children.” Of course, there’s a catch. The woman in the kitchen is Executive Chef Connie DeSousa. And the woman with children is Dr. Sharron Spicer, a leading paediatrician. 

Wilkins says that Critical Mass wanted to appropriate and subvert misogynist rhetoric in a way that would simultaneously grab attention, raise awareness, and inspire audiences.

“We think people will appreciate the twist here. Women belong wherever their talents and hard work take them—the kitchen, the hospital, the courtroom —anywhere. They determine their own fate, not stereotypes.”

The portraits of professional women go live today on the Famous 5 website, social channels, and the Persons Day event in downtown Calgary. Canadians are encouraged to use the hashtag #WomenBelong on Twitter to share statements of encouragement and equality.

This is the second year Critical Mass has helped the Famous 5 Foundation mark Persons Day. In 2015, the agency brought the statues of the Famous 5 in Calgary’s Heritage Park to life with a 3D audio recreation of the subversive “pink tea conversations” of 1927—an audio experience that was intimate, immersive and inspirational.

Person’s Day 2016 also comes as part of Women’s History Month in Canada (centred around the theme of #BecauseofHer). Its purpose is to inspire current and future generations to continue to fight for a society in which all people feel empowered and have equal opportunities to reach their full potential.