Three stories, different characters and situations, but one shared objective: challenging gender stereotypes through creativity and visual storytelling.
As part of the Erasmus+ R.E.W.I.N.D. project, three original graphic novels were developed during the Graphic Novel Workshop curated by SKILLHUB and have recently been shared through the project’s social media channels.
Created collaboratively by participants from different backgrounds and countries, the stories explore situations in which stereotypes, expectations, and assumptions about gender emerge in everyday life. From the way we dress to the way we perceive inequality, each graphic novel invites the audience to question what is considered “normal” and to look at familiar situations from a different perspective.
MIRROR ME: Recognising Yourself in Someone Else
The first story, MIRROR ME, explores identity, self-expression, bullying, and solidarity.
The protagonist is a young man who likes to express himself in a feminine way. One day, he witnesses a group of boys bullying another young man because of the way he dresses. The scene immediately brings back memories of his own past experiences of being bullied for expressing himself outside conventional gender expectations.
Recognising himself in the other boy, he decides not to remain a passive observer. Instead, he reaches out and offers his support.
As the two walk home, they encounter another feminine-presenting young man who, this time, is being appreciated and accepted by those around him. The encounter provides a different image of what is possible and closes the story on a hopeful note.
MIRROR ME reflects on the importance of empathy and mutual support, while showing how seeing our own experiences reflected in someone else can give us the courage to act.
Tutors: Giulia Crispi and Barbara Botta
Members: Noemi Sciuto, Maryam Omitoogum, Qinyao Yang, Beatriz Costa, Beatriz Rosmaninho, Marta Cosme, Constanca Martins, Petros Vouzios, Dionisis Kostantinidis
The Right Guy in the Right Place: Who Decides What We Should Wear?
The second graphic novel, The Right Guy in the Right Place, takes a simple everyday situation and turns it into a direct challenge to gender stereotypes.
The story is set in a clothing store and follows Achille, a young man looking for clothes in the women’s section.
A saleswoman notices him and assumes that he has made a mistake, telling him that he is in the wrong place. Achille’s response is simple but powerful: he knows exactly where he is. He likes one of the garments and sees no reason why the label “for women” should prevent him from wearing it.
Through this brief encounter, the story raises a broader question: why should clothing determine or limit the way people express themselves?
Achille’s confidence challenges the unwritten rules that continue to associate certain clothes, colours, styles, and forms of self-expression with a specific gender.
Tutors: Leonardo Pandetta and Gaetano Russo
Members: Bianca Pirrelli, Claudia Bozzolato, Anastatia Karanaki, Zhijie Lu, Rute Lima, Luna Santos, Tiago Gadunhas, Georgia Koumaroglou
LOOK AGAIN: When Inequality Is Hiding in Plain Sight
The third story, LOOK AGAIN, shifts the focus towards the way gender inequality is perceived — and sometimes dismissed.
After attending yet another school event about gender equality, a boy and a girl leave while discussing what they have just heard. For him, the subject feels repetitive and outdated: gender inequality seems like an issue that has already been discussed and largely overcome. She tries to explain that reality is more complex.
As they walk through the city, their conversation continues. The boy repeatedly minimises the issue and interprets reality exclusively from his own point of view, often talking over the girl as she tries to respond.
But the city gradually provides its own answer.
Through a series of everyday situations, the two characters encounter concrete examples of gender inequality that challenge the boy’s assumptions. What initially seemed distant or exaggerated becomes increasingly difficult for him to ignore.
Little by little, his certainty begins to disappear.
The conclusion adds another dimension to the story: the girl breaks the fourth wall and directly addresses the reader, transforming the graphic novel into an open question. Rather than providing a definitive answer, LOOK AGAIN asks its audience to reconsider what they see around them — and perhaps notice inequalities that have become so familiar that they are easily overlooked.
Tutors: Diego D’Urso and Francesco Cipriano
Members: Corinne Collot, Karolina Fernàndez Bogal, Caterina Loro, Margarida Cunha, Gabriela Tabuica, Chara Tsakiridou
Storytelling as a Way to Challenge Stereotypes
Although they approach the topic from different perspectives, the three graphic novels share a common thread.
MIRROR ME focuses on empathy, identity, and the courage to support others. The Right Guy in the Right Place questions the gender labels attached to clothing and personal expression. LOOK AGAIN examines how inequality can be dismissed or overlooked when it does not directly affect our own experience.
Together, the three stories show how everyday situations can reveal much broader social dynamics.
Developed during the Graphic Novel Workshop curated by SKILLHUB for the Erasmus+ R.E.W.I.N.D. project, the works also demonstrate the potential of graphic storytelling as a tool for opening conversations about gender, representation, stereotypes, and inclusion.
By combining images, characters, dialogue, and experiences inspired by contemporary life, the participants transformed complex themes into stories that are immediate and accessible.
And perhaps this is precisely the invitation connecting all three graphic novels: to look again — at others, at the stereotypes around us, and at the assumptions we sometimes take for granted.