My Life

A film about gender fronted by 15-year-old Shelby, who is not a 'girly' girl - and very happy that way. She likes having short hair, lives in trousers, hates wearing make-up - and can't stand pink! Shelby never wanted to be a boy but, though she's confident now, being a different kind of girl hasn't always been easy. So what does it mean to be a girl? In this film, Shelby explores her experiences growing up. While reflecting on her own childhood, her image and her life at school, she embarks on a journey , asking 'what IS a girl?' To find out, she meets different types of girls; Toddlers in a nursery, who think girls have long hair; sport-mad Laila, who calls herself a Tomboy; Meg, who adores ballet and dresses, and 7-year-old Anna, who loves skateboarding and dreams of being a pirate! These children are very different, yet each wants to be accepted simply for who they are. Shelby concludes that a girl is someone who can stand out OR fit in, who can wear what they feel comfortable in and shouldn't have to change their style to please others, and who's happy in her own skin.