Imagine how sad it is when you finally find your dream job, and suddenly, your family member or loved one, or society is telling you to quit and give up on your dream just because you're a girl!

"Physics requires a man's mind", "Surgery requires a man's endurance", "Construction work requires a man's handiness", "A female football player can't successfully get married", "A woman can't be a pilot", etc...

These everyday phrases are one of the main reasons why almost 35% of young women can't freely choose what they want to do.

Often, such phrases are said without a second thought or even realising how much harm they can cause and as a result, girls give up on their dreams.

We could not come to terms with this and decided to fight against the stereotypes firmly embedded in society.

Everyone working on this project has heard or met someone whose life was impacted by a stereotypical phrase like this at least once. What's more heartbreaking is that such phrases are primarily targeted towards women and are usually said by people closest to them, their family members, close friends, and relatives.

As we believe that such phrases and any stereotypical views and beliefs regarding women and their professions are baseless and highly outdated, we decided to tackle such phrases and views.

Everyone should understand how harmful such stereotypical phrases can be, crushing dreams and forcing conformity. The main goal was to inspire hope and encourage younger generations to pursue their dreams.

Unfortunately, stereotypes and outdated beliefs still surround women and their professions. Jobs are still divided into men's or women's, people still believe that a certain job requires a man's strength, brain, and expertise, or isn't something a "decent" woman should do.

It's usually people who were born and raised in the Soviet Union who still believe that women can't pursue certain professions or should sacrifice their dreams to fit into the moulds and roles which are more acceptable for society. These are the people who create the social and political climate, are in power and are generally well respected.

We wanted to reach these people and show them that just one phrase can change a person's life forever.

Memorial boards are widely recognised in Georgia as a symbol of professional accomplishments and have never been used for this type of communication before, so we decided to use Memorial boards as our primary means of communication and to express the whole essence of the problem with a somewhat traditional Memorial Board Language.

Instead of the traditional inscription: “Here lived a prominent Scientist, etc.” We wrote: “A renowned scientist, Elene Tabatadze, could have lived here, but she was made to believe that physics requires a man’s intelligence”. The phrases and names were different on all 30 boards.

Original artworks by famous Georgian artists accompanied each memorial board and helped draw bypassers' attention to the boards. Additionally, by scanning a QR code, displayed alongside every memorial board, individuals could listen to a woman whose story was on the memorial board tell her story in full detail.

Primary Target Audience: Women, living in Georgia, 16-18, High school students and graduates.

Secondary Target Audience:

1. Women, living in Georgia, 38-60+, mothers, family members or close society of the younger ones.

2. Broad Audience - Men and Women, living in Georgia 25-60, who thinks stereotypically about women choosing their profession.

3. People who understand how meaningful Memorial boards are.

We started gathering real stories of real women whose lives have been impacted by such stereotypical phrases. We settled on 30 stories and began creating memorial boards. These memorial boards were installed on 30 different streets in the capital city, Tbilisi. Original artworks from local artists, who voluntarily contributed their works, accompanied the boards.

The campaign launched on April 4, 2023. The main video was aired on social media platforms, and the website http://unstereotype.ge was launched. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok helped us spread our message widely, and the involvement of mainstream TV and articles, along with the support of influencers, significantly increased the campaign's reach and impact. Additionally, a #metoo like campaign empowered more women to share their own experiences, fostering a sense of solidarity and support among women.

Within a few days, all major channels, internet publications, and hundreds of celebrities voluntarily joined the campaign. Social media users shared their personal stories and those of their loved ones, accompanied by comments or posts, encouraging other users to never give up on their dreams.

Such an overwhelming response from the public led to negotiations with the city council, and we were able to install new memorial boards of notable Georgian women across the city. More notably, we achieved a significant milestone by permanently renaming 16 streets in Tbilisi after accomplished women.

What's even more significant is that we've initiated a discussion and brought attention to a commonly ignored detail, resulting in a significant shift in how people use these phrases in their daily lives.