This is an archive page.  The links are no longer being updated.

REMARKS BY:		DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:			Girls in the Media, Los Angeles, California
DATE:			May 1, 1997

And they introduced me as one of the most powerful women in America.

A kid in the front row shouted out, "Oh yeah, what channel are you on?"

The truth is, even before Peggy's uncle wrote that classic movie, "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" Hollywood and Washington have always shared quite a bit.

We both make people laugh. You do it on purpose.

We have our own version of "All my Children." We call it Congress.

In Washington, when people say, "Break a leg" they mean it.

And you know you're having a bad morning, when you open the Washington Post and next to your name is the word, "Canceled."

Just like Mr. Smith, moving to Washington has certainly taken its toll on me. I used to be 12 inches taller.

So, why am I here? Let me start with why I am not here. I am not here to make headlines by blaming you for all the ills in our society. I am not here to advocate that government should run onto the set yelling, "rewrite!" After all, in this nation, we have a precious First Amendment that we all must honor.

And besides, I come from a Washington world where people still think that if you have something really important to tell children -- hand them a brochure. I don't know one young person who has spent 5 minutes reading a brochure. What they do is absorb popular culture by the ton. Logging on. Calling up. And, watching -- no, yelling -- at their television sets. And that is why I am here.

When I told people that I was coming out here to talk to the media about the health of young girls, a lot of them said, "Why? The media has nothing to do with the public health. Forget it."

And I will tell you what I told them. Believe it or not, you are part of the public health system. You increasingly fill the vacuum once occupied by traditional institutions -- like family and religion, schools and communities.

Young girls wear your clothes, tape your shows, read your magazines, buy your products with fierce loyalty -- loyalty elected officials could only dream of. They are watching and listening for hours on end, absorbing life lessons about values; lessons about their lives and futures; lessons about how to deal with dangers -- like teen pregnancy, drugs, and depression.

You have their attention. The question is, what are you going to tell them? And the answer is up to you. So, as I said, "I'm not here to shake my finger at you. But, I'm not here to tell you everything is o.k. either.

I'm here to challenge you as professionals, parents, and citizens to use your incredible power to help us transform the lives of young girls from a national tragedy into a national triumph.

I was thinking a lot about this speech last Thursday. It was Take Our Daughters to Work day -- and our department was hosting young girls from around DC. Anyone who has worked with young girls knows that they ended up hosting us.

But, the highlight of the day was an event we had with Gloria Steinem and the former Miss Black USA where the kids got a chance to ask questions. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the first question. "It was how old are you?" But, I was thrilled by the girls' responses. Especially their response to the posters we had of Olympic gymnast Dominque Dawes, who they say is a real role model.

It turns out that at age 6, when most kids are glued to the TV set, Dominique was writing this word, in crayon, over and over again on her bathroom mirror: Determination. That's what it takes to be a champion: determination.

And determination is what it's going to take from us to ensure that every girl -- every single girl -- looks in the mirror and calls herself a champion.

Right now, that is not the case. Right now, too many girls are spending hours in front of the mirror. Any parent will tell you that's nothing new. What is new is that they're peering at their reflections through a modern-day looking glass. The distorted images that they see upset them. And as people who care about children, they should scare us too.

I'm going to be blunt. We have a generation of 9 to 14 year old girls at serious risk. All of us have seen it happen to girls in our own lives. Young girls once strong and full of resilience, somehow lose their very selves during adolescence and enter the second decade of their lives without the strength and confidence that got them there.

While growing up these days is tough for everyone, the research tells us that girls experience adolescence differently than boys. While boys often become more aggressive, girls often turn inward and self-destruct. While boys often smoke to be rebellious, girls often do it to stay thin.

Young girls become less likely to engage in physical activity. More likely to be depressed. More likely to attempt suicide. And more likely to have a negative body image. What we know is that all of these factors are related, that no one problem stands alone, and that girls with poor body images often have the riskiest attitudes about tobacco, drugs, and sex.

And we know from surveys that more than half of nine year-olds have dieted. That's nine year olds. Unbelievable? Not when so much of their self image is tied up with being thin and attractive. And not when we've all heard stories of anorexic girls who hear people say, "you look great" right up until the time they are hospitalized.

A social worker in Los Angeles told me a story about a 14 year-old girl she was interviewing. When she asked the girl what she likes about herself, the answer is all too typical, "I don't know." But she does know what she would change about herself and here she rattles off a whole list of physical attributes like her eyes and hair and weight.

The truth is, this young woman, and too many like her, are more worried about gaining weight and being accepted than they are about excelling in school or staying healthy.

Let me be clear: This isn't all your fault. But, it is your problem. It is my problem. It is our problem. It's an American problem. And, together we have a responsibility to help solve it.

That's the purpose behind our Girl Power! campaign: to team up with parents and other adults to help 9-14 year-old girls make the most of their lives.

Not with a one-size-fits-all campaign of the past. The kind that treats problems in isolation and provides only one answer: Say no. We've taken a comprehensive approach. With targeted health messages about the behaviors -- like drugs, smoking and teen pregnancy -- that girls should avoid, yes. But also with strong positive messages about leadership, opportunity, and physical activity -- messages that tap into the strength girls have when they are younger.

With PSAs, hats, diaries, billboards and other materials, we are telling every girl: You are unique. You are valuable. And, if you put your mind to it, you can succeed.

So, what does Girl Power mean to young girls? I put that question to girls during Take Our Daughters to Work Day. And, as usual, they said it far better than I ever could. They wrote "Girl Power is being anything you want to be. Increasing your knowledge, helping others. Girl Power is standing up for what you believe in. Choosing right from wrong. Exercising. Being Drug Free." And finally, a young girl simply wrote, "I think Girl Power is special."

Our job is to ensure that every girl feels this way throughout her life.And that's what we're working to do. Let me give you just a few recent examples. Last month, I went to the Women's Final Four to release the first ever government report showing that sports and physical activity can have a positive impact on all aspects of a girl's life.

For the first time in history, a President is taking big steps to kick Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man out of our children's lives. Just last week, for the first time, a Judge said that yes, cigarettes are a drug delivery device. And yes, the FDA can regulate them. This is an historic public health triumph -- a triumph we should all be proud of.

And today, I'm also proud to be kicking off Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month by announcing some more good news. We are releasing a study today showing that for the first time in more than 20 years, 15-19 year old girls are less likely to have sex. And if they do have sex, they're more likely to use contraceptives.

These positive trends are the same for teenage boys. They're part of the reason we're finally seeing declines in teen pregnancy rates. And what they tell us is that teenagers are hearing the message that sex and pregnancy puts them on a fast track to a bad future. And they're hearing the message that condoms can prevent pregnancy, AIDS, and other STDs.

But these results also tell us that it's too late to start talking to girls at age 15. We need to reach them early. On this and every issue. That's why I am pleased to announce today two new grant programs that fill important gaps in our fight against teen pregnancy.

First, we are dedicating one million dollars this year to communities -- so they can work with volunteers to give 9-14 year-old girls the confidence and opportunities they need to abstain from sex and other risky behaviors -- and make the most of their lives. I am also announcing today another million dollars in grants to educate and encourage young males to make responsible decisions.

But, whether the message is sports or teen pregnancy prevention, the government will never be able to deliver it alone. It's going to take each and every one of us. That was the message of the President's volunteerism summit. And that is why, as part of Girl Power!, Dominique Dawes is appearing in print and radio PSAs.

It's why we're teaming up with the U.S. National Women's Soccer team to send clear messages to girls that tobacco and fitness just don't mix. It's why I joined with NIKE's P.L.A.Y. CORPS program last week to announce a new partnership aimed at training college-age coaches to work with young girls. And, it's why I am here today. To ask for your help and your leadership.

When I was growing up, I still remember how my parents and other caring adults encouraged me. By telling me I played a good game. That I delivered a good line. That I was special. Yet, while parents are still by far the most influential people in girls' lives, we know that girls too often turn away from them just when they need them the most.

Instead, girls today often look to their peers and to our most powerful mirror -- the mirror of popular culture -- to tell them who they are and who they should be. But, when they look in that mirror, what do they see?

I am speaking to you as a talented and privileged few, with great power, but also great responsibility. And I am speaking to you as leaders who have already helped us make great progress in the last 20 years -- progress in the numbers and types of girls depicted in the media.

When girls click on the TV today, they see more women like Elaine on "Seinfeld" with good jobs and a good sense of humor. They see more girls like Claudia on "Party of Five" who not only shows great musical skills, but also strong personal skills as she navigates through real life issues like her brother's alcoholism and her violin teacher's homosexuality.

They see articles like the one appearing in Seventeen this month about choosing the right college. And they see girls like Lisa on the "Simpsons," whose intelligence and saxophone playing put Bart and the other boys to shame. I'm actually told that some teachers give Lisa credit for the recent surge in saxophone interest among girls in band class.

So, have we come a long way? Absolutely. But, we still have much to do.

Because too often our culture still bombards girls with images that tell them that being unnaturally thin -- actually gaunt -- is sexy and healthy. They're told that smoking will make them thin and glamorous and cool and successful. That it's "a woman thing." And they're told that drinking will make them feel popular and grown-up.

What the Children Now/Kaiser Family Foundation survey showed is that, despite improvements, girls are still depicted more often talking about their appearances and romantic relationships and less often talking about their jobs.

And many characters on shows are becoming thinner and thinner, actually reaching weights that are unhealthful and unattainable.

At the same time, about 70 percent of girls say they have wanted to look like a character on TV and almost a third of girls have changed their appearance to make it happen. And in an article about make-up, a young girl's magazine this month shows a girl's picture with these words: "Look sexy -- not silly."

I ask again: When they look in the mirror, what are girls seeing? Too often they are seeing that they don't measure up to the images created for them. That they're not good enough. Or thin enough. Or pretty enough. And boys are learning lessons too. Lessons about how to value and treat girls.

I know that many of you are entertainers and business people by trade. I know that you need to be ever mindful of the bottom line of ratings and profits. But, there is another bottom line that I'm asking you to pay attention to. It's your role as citizens and guardians of the public trust. And, it's the bottom line of young girls and their families.

You alone will probably never save or ruin a young girl's life. But what you show girls can have a tremendous impact on how they view themselves and how others -- boys and adults alike -- view them. That's why I'm asking you to take an even larger role in the great national drama to improve the health of American girls.

I'm asking you to think about the public health consequences of every thing you do. I'm asking you to join with us to send the right messages to girls -- the same messages we'd like our daughters or other family members to hear. Put simply, I'm asking you to hold up a more accurate mirror.

First, I challenge you to use your immense creativity to develop programming appropriate for 9-14 year-old girls. From Saturday morning cartoons to Seventeen, there is a wealth of programs and products for very young girls and for older girls. But, there is a gap in the middle.

We all know that girls have a tendency to be attracted to images and problems faced by older girls. And that's especially true when they don't have many great, more age-appropriate alternatives. But, there is a big untapped market and an even greater social need for materials that really speak to 9-14 year old girls. And we must create them.

Every time a girls sees a show or reads a magazine where all the girls pictured are paper thin, no one needs to explicitly say, "To be popular and successful, you must be gaunt." The message is clear. And the image created is outside the reach of most healthy girls.

That's why my second challenge is to create more characters, images, and role models that girls can reach and relate to. Girls who look like them and face everyday choices like them. Girls who make them proud of who they are and what they can become. Characters and images that teach both boys and girls to value girls who are smart and talented and confident and successful. All the things people want for their daughters.

Finally, and perhaps most important, we need to give girls and their parents information that will help -- not hinder -- their ability to navigate the rough waters of early adolescence.

If you're doing a story about a teenager getting pregnant, consider making the plot not just about passion, but about the consequences -- the poverty and lost futures that our research shows unwed mothers and their children are likely to face. If you're doing an article about eating disorders or depression or domestic violence, try giving girls and their parents places to turn for help. And if you're doing a show about smoking and drugs, you can find ways to show girls making the right choices and parents and peers sending the right messages. Messages that say smoking isn't cool.

I know -- and you know -- that education and entertainment can go hand in hand. And they must.

I understand that you're production schedules are grueling -- and that up-to-date public health information isn't just lying around the office. So, I've come here this afternoon to offer more than a challenge. I've come to offer help.

At our department, we have up-to-date information about the use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco among girls. We have access to the best experts on issues ranging from depression to physical activity. We have information about approaches that work to cut down teen pregnancy and improve the health of girls. And, we have Girl Power! campaign materials that send girls the right messages about their bodies and minds -- indeed their futures.

You write the drama or develop the products, and we'll be there with the accurate information you need on any topic -- anytime. That's why I'm pleased to include in the packet you received today a number you can call at HHS -- and our web site address -- so you can get the facts you need when you need them.

I made the same offer when I spoke to talk show producers and then again to soap opera producers. Both times the naysayers said that the media leaders would simply put resources in the circular file. Both times they were wrong.

After those conferences, the calls started coming in -- and information started pouring out. It is my hope that this conference will strengthen the dialogue between leaders in the public health and entertainment industry.

Because, we all know that government doesn't raise children. Our schools don't raise children. And the media doesn't raise children. Parents raise children -- but, as the President's summit made clear, all of us have an obligation to give them a helping hand.

We need to ask ourselves, "When given the choice and the power to influence girls' lives, did we choose to have a positive effect, a negative effect, or no effect at all?"

Because, somewhere a girl is looking in the mirror today. What will she see? Will she know that her health and future are more important than her image? That the size of her ambition is more important than the size of her clothes? That the dreams she creates for herself are more important than those created for her by others? Will she, like Dominique Dawes look in the mirror and see not defeat, but determination?

A 9 year-old named Cherlnell does. She wrote a poem called, "What makes me feel powerful." "When I get an A+ or an A on a test. When I get told I am smart. When people tell me I will become something big. That's what makes me feel powerful. Strong-willed is independent and brave. And I'll stay like that forever"..

It is our job to ensure that every girl in this country "stays like that forever."

Thank you.