The phrase “Dancing backwards in high heels” became popular thanks to Bob Thave’s cartoon in 1982, in which a woman explained to the protagonists of the strip – Frank and Ernest – that although Fred Astaire had been a great dancer, Ginger Rogers could do the same, backwards and in high heels.
NIMD’s new book Dancing Backwards in High Heels uses this image to explore the situation of women in politics, who “play in the same soccer field as men and share the same spaces as men but with different rules and with all the odds against them.”
Written by Virginia García Beaudoux, a gender consultant in Latin America, Dancing Backwards in High Heels offers a unique glimpse into what it can mean to be an ambitious woman in an environment still dominated by males. It explores the different ways in which the media portray women and male leaders, how that shapes our thinking about leadership and the barriers that causes for women politicians.
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http://nimd.org/presenting-our-newest-publication-dancing-backwards-in-high-heels/