Prize-winning author and filmmaker Jean Kilbourne will be the keynote speaker at an April 27 conference about women and the power of image. She will address the topic of "Advertising, Image and Women's Capacity to Lead," followed by remarks from a panel of local professional women and small group discussions on changing stereotypes.
The event from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. is presented by the Center for Professional Development and Education Reform of the Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development and the Anthony Center for Women's Leadership, both at the University of Rochester. It will be held at the Holiday Inn Airport, located on Brooks Avenue at Route 390.
Kilbourne is an internationally recognized lecturer on women's images portrayed through advertising and is also respected for her pioneering work on alcohol and tobacco advertising. Widely published as a writer and speaker, Kilbourne is best known for her book Can't Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel, and her film Killing Us Softly: Advertising's Image of Women.
She examines advertising's assault on self-image, and how the media markets an unhealthy mindset and sells addictive products. Her talks emphasize personal health and freedom from addiction, denial, and manipulation as ways to defy the negative powers of advertising. She has served on the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and has been an advisor to two surgeons general.
From 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., local leaders and program participants will respond to Kilbourne's remarks by discussing images and how they can be changed. This is the fourth year that the Warner School has offered a program developing the topic of "Educational Leadership: Women Making a Difference."
The conference fee, including breakfast and lunch, is $60. Discounts are available for members of 10 sponsoring organizations; full-time students pay $30; a group discount is also available. The registration deadline is April 17. For more information, contact (585) 275-8270, or e-mail garl@troi.cc.rochester.edu.