Girl Talk: A Local, USA Special | Trailer
Preview: Season 7 Episode 1 | 1m 45sVideo has Closed Captions
In the cutthroat world of high school debate, five girls show the value of speaking up.
Set in the cutthroat, male-dominated world of high school debate, GIRL TALK tells the compelling story of five girls on the diverse, top-ranked Massachusetts team at Newton South. Often talked over, underrepresented and judged differently than their male counterparts, each girl learns to navigate gender biases, reminding us that equal rights and freedom of expression are worth fighting for.
Funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Wyncote Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Girl Talk: A Local, USA Special | Trailer
Preview: Season 7 Episode 1 | 1m 45sVideo has Closed Captions
Set in the cutthroat, male-dominated world of high school debate, GIRL TALK tells the compelling story of five girls on the diverse, top-ranked Massachusetts team at Newton South. Often talked over, underrepresented and judged differently than their male counterparts, each girl learns to navigate gender biases, reminding us that equal rights and freedom of expression are worth fighting for.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship- Judge, ready?
Great.
Let's begin.
Starting now.
- This concedes our third- - Tina: Step into the world of competitive debate.
- Debate is perception, especially public forum, where even though you have two confident debaters, you put them side by side and that's really where a power dynamic is formed in the minds of a judge.
- In a soccer game, if you score two goals, you won.
Whereas in debate, it's very, very subjective.
- Tina: But victory does not always go to the best debater.
- $700 million dollars is quite a bit of- - Look, can you just let us finish?
We've been going in circles.
- The judge told me like, "your voice is too feminine for debate".
At that point, I was like, how can I control my voice?
Like, I literally was born with it.
- Stand up tall, no slouching.
Glue your feet to the ground, pretend there is sticky glue.
Lower your voice at the end of your sentences.
Don't trail off.
- Don't interrupt boys.
They gave you all these tips and tricks, right?
Which is BS.
You know, the problem is not us.
The problem is the judges.
- The judges just gonna vote for who looks like a winner.
Looking like a winner oftentimes isn't very feminine - Tina: In this high school, the girls on debate team have a new strategy.
Will it work?
- It comes from us, right?
We coach each other.
- We all see ourselves as maybe the ones who can change things.
(orchestral music) - Girl Talk on Local, USA.
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Girl Talk | A Balance Between Self and a "Good Debater"
Video has Closed Captions
Bella, a co-captain, shares the struggles of maintaining her identity and that of debater. (1m 24s)
Girl Talk: A Local, USA Special | Preview
Video has Closed Captions
In the cutthroat world of high school debate, five girls show the value of speaking up. (30s)
Girl Talk | A Style of Her Own
Video has Closed Captions
Anika may be a novice but she isn't afraid to stick to her particular style of debating. (1m 59s)
Girl Talk | Expression in More Than One Language
Video has Closed Captions
Hannah, a varsity, sees debating as more than speaking as a child of Vietnamese refugees. (1m 1s)
Video has Closed Captions
Debaters share the gender & racial biases and expectations they encounter from the judges. (1m 36s)
Girl Talk | Motivational Failure
Video has Closed Captions
Gil, a varsity member, is fueled to keep going when judged by her poise over her points. (1m 40s)
Girl Talk | Perceptual Dominance
Video has Closed Captions
Meet the girls of the Newton South High School debate team and the bias they contend with. (2m 3s)
Girl Talk | Standing Up, Speaking Out
Video has Closed Captions
Gaby, a novice, is learning what it takes to stand up for herself as a person and debater. (1m 4s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Wyncote Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.