Roadmap - 'Strong Female Character'

Vanesa AldanaBlas CofréBrisa SandovalRayén Silva

fern brady

strong female character

Links

Bibliography

S6: Activity

Signpost 6

Signpost 5

S4: Hashtags

Signpost 4

S3: Key

S3: Objective

Signpost 3

Table of contents

Signpost 2

Signpost 1

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Singpost 1

Brady would be delighted to read the news about Ian Moche, an autistic boy who is a disseminator of autism in Argentina. We strongly believe that she might be interested in learning more about him since she also considers herself a disseminator who promotes awareness of the need to get informed about autism. Moreover, the release of stand-up comedian Natalia de los Santos’s book might captivate Brady. The book is a guide to performing stand-up comedy from a woman’s perspective which may resonate with Brady because both are female stand-up comedians who might have faced similar situations such as feeling left out or as if they were being treated differently because of their gender. Finally, the author would read the piece of news about Dalia Gutmann, another stand-up comedian. Brady might be eager to know more about her because they share life stories, that is, both started their careers in journalism but then they realised that what they wanted was to be part of the stand-up comedy world.

Brady

Fern

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Signpost 2: The tattoo

Drama

Comedy

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UPPER-INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED LEVEL

A STORY PUZZLE: Students aged between 15-17

Signpost 3: Reconstructing the plot of Strong Female Character

KEY

Expected outcomes

Objective

To enhance students' comprehension and critical thinking skills by having them collaboratively reconstruct the main events of “Strong Female Character” through a puzzle, fostering deeper engagement with the text while improving their ability to identify and organise key plot points.

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Text form

KEY

MORE

Signpost 4: hashtags

“But for now I have you. I’ve told you everything – I’ve spared you nothing because I know that if I’d kept anything back or secret I’d inadvertently be giving the message that it’s shameful. I’m what some people call ‘openly autistic’ – a term I’m uncomfortable with because the ‘open’ part suggests it’s odd that I’m not keeping quiet about it but maybe I should. All I can do is keep talking about it and hope you’ll then go and make things feel better for the next autistic or misfit girl you meet. That doing all this will bring about tiny incremental changes is the only thing I have any certainty about” (Brady, 2023, p. 232).

Strong Female Character

Fern Brady

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#UnbreakableWomen

#NeurodiversityIsPartOfHumanity

#AutismAdvocacy

Three hastags to discuss alternative interpretations to Brady's final reflection:

Signpost 5: text-to-media & text-to-world connections

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What other kinds of places do you think need to be modified so as to be more accessible for neurodivergent people?

Strong Female Character

Spectrum Nightclub

What strategies or tools do you think might be useful when experiencing the negative feelings mentioned before?

why am i like this?

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Signpost 6: Activity - Navigating our feelings

01

Context

02

Objective

03

Expected outcomes

04

Procedure

Reflection

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Navigating our feelings

Read extracts A–E and then answer questions 1–6 below in groups of 3 or 4:

1-6

A-E

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Bibliography

Big Belly Comedy Club. (n.d.). Fern Brady. https://bigbellycomedy.club/artist/fern-brady/ Brady, F. (2023). Strong Female Character. BrazenChampions The Speaker Agency (UK) PLC. (n.d.). Fern Brady. Scottish Comedian & Writer Who Reached The Final Of 'So You Think You're Funny'. https://champions-speakers.co.uk/speaker-agent/fern-bradyFundación Huésped (2018). Los ejes de la ESI. https://huesped.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/f.huesped-curso-esi-los-ejes-de-la-esi.pdfGartland, O. (2019). Why Am I Like This? [Song]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/SJgnWnb7wG8?si=CKyyBNzt_Sy2JimEGoodreads (n.d.). Fern: Marie Brady biography. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204568330-fern-marie-brady-biographyLey Nacional de Educación Sexual Integral N°26.150 (2006). https://www.argentina.gob.ar/normativa/nacional/ley-26150-121222/texto

Página 12 (2023, August 2). La emotiva historia de Ian: Tiene 10 años, es autista y ayuda a concientizar para crear "un mundo más empático". https://www.pagina12.com.ar/573582-la-emotiva-historia-de-ian-tiene-10-anos-es-autista-y-ayuda- Perfil (2023, June 6). Natalia De Los Santos: La primera mujer en escribir un libro de stand-up https://www.perfil.com/noticias/cultura/natalia-de-los-santos-la-primera-mujer-en-escribir-un-libro-de-stand-up.phtmlRapetti, A. (2018, April 18). Dalia Gutmann: Yo quería ser una mujer seria. La Nación. https://www.lanacion.com.ar/lifestyle/dalia-gutmann-yo-queria-ser-una-mujer-seria-nid2123403/Roberts, E. (2023, May 29). Making neurodivergent LGBTQ+ clubbing accessible [Video]. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-65599892SPECTRUM [@sspectrum_presentss] (n.d.). Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/sspectrum_presentss/

Among other areas, the Comprehensive Sexuality Education proposal in Argentina considers the emotional aspects and the importance of caring for our bodies and health within its framework. This perspective suggests seeing every student as someone who experiences emotions and affection. Therefore, students can understand and reflect on their experiences, emotions, and desires, as these are integral to their individual sexuality and should be acknowledged as a key value in daily interactions within educational settings. Through this task, students can analyse the possible feelings before, during, and after sexual relationships as well as the issues of consent and having sex with a minor. By doing this, they can distinguish positive emotions from unpleasant feelings and attempt to identify what causes them to feel distress and discomfort. This understanding is crucial for learners to foster emotional intelligence, recognise the importance of respecting their own and others’ intimacy, and identify potential emotional and sexual situations of abuse. As for teachers, they could use this activity as a starting point for more extensive and in-depth conversations in which other related topics such as consent, healthy communication, and self-care are introduced. Teachers need to put their interpersonal skills into use to navigate complex topics and debates when engaging in these discussions. This task contributes to creating a healthier environment by fostering mutual respect so students may feel more engaged and motivated to participate. As a result, it may enhance collaboration and communication in the classroom.

This tattoo is a combination of the theatre masks of comedy and drama. Fern Brady might get this tattooed on the inside of her left forearm since both genres represent her life story. As she does stand-up comedy, the joyful side is related to her love for her job and how she’s perceived as funny and easy-going. However, the pitiful side has to do with the meltdowns and social anxiety she experiences as an autistic woman, that is, how she’s felt internally. In addition, since this design is about a mask, it also mirrors her tendency to change her behaviour so as to follow social cues and fit in. Moreover, the fusion of these two expressions can be considered a reflection of her mixed feelings toward her neurodivergence because she felt trapped in an emotional void when she was younger. This is because she couldn’t decipher what triggered her mental breakdowns or her physical reactions until she is older and starts learning how to live and deal with her diagnosis as autistic.

The video Making neurodivergent LGBTQ+ clubbing accessible (Roberts, 2023) and Brady’s memoir are related because both tackle inclusiveness and diversity from a different angle. The former presents a club that receives neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ people in order to provide them with a safe and inclusive club night. In the case of Brady, she did not have access to similar places because she struggled to find environments that understood and accommodated her needs. Her discomfort and anxiety when navigating public spaces prove that it is necessary to readjust public places considering everyone’s needs, which is an issue that this club has successfully addressed.

• Better understanding: through this activity, students will grasp the chronological sequence of the main events in the story.
• Collaborative work: students will carry out the activity in groups so they will need to come to agreements and solve problems when they do not agree with the order of events, which will enhance collaboration.
• Engagement: this type of activity can motivate students to work more by combining critical thinking, and collaboration, motivating them to actively solve and reconstruct a story.

1. Who are Karen and Shaun? How did Fern meet them?
2. How old was Fern when she met them? How old were they? Is the difference in age problematic? Why/Why not?
3. Was her sexual encounter with Karen and Shaun positive or negative? Why?
4. Read the underlined words and phrases. How did Fern feel? How do you know?
5. Use three adjectives to describe how Fern felt during this situation.
6. How could recognising our emotions help us if we were in a situation similar to Fern’s?

A. Meanwhile Karen and Shaun insisted it was no bother to pick me up that weekend and I agreed, grudgingly. It felt like I’d sort of passed the cut-off point where I could say no. (p. 99)B. I started thinking then how everyone said schoolgirls were sexy, how everyone in porn wanted to be us, but I didn’t feel sexy at all. I just felt like an idiot. (p. 100)C. As I sat between them on the couch, I had the overwhelming sense that I was trying to play a role without knowing any of the lines. (p. 100)D. Karen suddenly seemed very old indeed. I didn’t know how to say I didn’t feel like it anymore, so I did it. (p. 100)E. They seemed to want to have sex endlessly whereas I felt like once had been more than enough. (p. 101)

Fern Brady is an exceptional talent in the realms of comedy, podcasting, and writing, carving her unique path through the entertainment landscape. Born on May 26, 1986, in Scotland, she has made significant strides in her career, transitioning from journalism to stand-up comedy and eventually establishing herself as a prominent figure in the comedy circuit.In 2021, Fern Brady, as an adult, received a diagnosis identifying her placement on the autism spectrum. Since learning about her diagnosis, she has actively engaged in the realm of autism education. In her 2023 memoir titled "Strong Female Character," she candidly discusses her journey of grappling with this diagnosis and navigating its impact on her life

Retrieved from The Big Books of Fall

Fern Brady

Scottish comedian

5. Fern begins to perform stand-up comedy. By doing so, she challenges societal norms because this job is not supposed to be for women. 6. She realises that stand-up comedy is her true passion, but as she gains fame, she faces more challenges.7. After getting to know her condition, Fern writes and performs about her life experiences and societal pressures on women.8. Fern writes a memoir, advocating for respect, tolerance, and greater autism awareness.

KEY: The correct assembling of the puzzle is in the materials but here we add the correct sequence enumerated.

1. Fern Brady grows up in Scotland and attends a strict Catholic school. She struggles with the fixed rules and expectations placed on her.
2. As a teen, Fern is admitted to a mental institution for treatment due to mental health challenges.
3. At university, she struggles socially and academically, dropping out due to her mental health issues, frustration, and disappointment with the university environment.
4. As she starts having money issues during her first year at university, she takes a job as a stripper because it is well-paid.

Strong Female Character (Brady, 2023) can be strongly connected to the song Why Am I Like This? by Orla Gartland (2019) since both pieces of material touch upon the issue of feeling out of place. Both narrators ponder on their behaviours and emotions as both believe they need to fit in with an overwhelming world that seems reluctant to include them. They question the reasons why they feel like misfits and their particular reactions to situations that make them feel anxious and alienated. Both pieces embody the struggle that the authors deal with when trying to discover their place in the world.