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| Thumbs up to all those amazing American girls out there! |
"You
don't have to feel like a wasted space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow"
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow"
In the past week, two
thought provoking videos have gone viral; one from Proctor & Gamble and the
other from Verizon. They both send out a powerful message to our society, the
negative generalizations we have about girls.
Let’s start with this one. What do you think when
someone says, “You act like a girl!” Now watch:
1. What are you saying?
I think for many, it
causes reflection. We sit back and wonder, “Have I projected this type of
thinking? How can I support a more positive image for our growing girls?”
This is a great place to be in our society. Awareness. Awareness can
bring positive change. We have the freedom to change, to make better choices
when it comes to having conversations with girls.
Change doesn’t have to
be hard, it can be quite simple. You can support the girls in your lives
to try new things, to feel empowered, build their self-confidence by letting
them fall down and pick themselves back up. Show them through hugs and high
fives that it’s important for them to be who they want to be, without any type
of restraint of just "being a girl".
2. What about the girly girls?
Which brings me to my
second point; girls should still be allowed to be girly. I have to
believe there is still a majority of us who want to be feel respected, have a
gentleman open a door for us, look feminine, and be powerful. THIS, I think is
more challenging. There seems to be this underlying message also being sent to
girls that they need to be so tough and maybe "act like a boy". We
need to stop this. There has to be a balance. More so than boys, there is an image factor to being a girl.
We all come in different shapes and sizes and I feel we are trying to figure
out how to be more accepting and less judgmental. As parents and
caregivers, we have the responsibility of raising our girls and boys with
respect for each other. Girls should be girls, whatever that means for their
own self: learning style, talents, skills and thoughts, and the way they
express themselves. If a girl wants to drenched in pink or head-to-toe
tomboy, let them! I love to wear heels, cute dresses, fun jewelry, and wear
some makeup (even though I have no idea how to put it on). I have friends that
live in flats or tennies, jeans or workout clothes, and low key t-shirts who could
care less about applying blush. It never crosses our minds to say to each
other, “You’re wearing that?!” Don’t get me wrong, I have had others, mainly
through my career experiences, give me a look when I enter a room full of black
or navy business attire in my pink or orange dress with heels on. I’ve learned
that you can’t worry about what others think of what you wear or how you ‘come
across’. More importantly, you stick to your guns and share your talents, show
through your actions that you are a smart, driven, insightful girl who is going
to fail but also comprehends that is all part of growing and becoming a better
girl. Yes, girl, I am a girl, not just a person. There is a difference.
3. Where the girls at?
We've come a long way.
In the past, it was frowned upon for girls to “act like boys”. Now we
understand that there are all types of girls out there. But, what I do still
observe over and over is the lack of interest girls have in technology and
science. While there's a science to everything, there are still obstacles when
it comes to girls being interested in the area of science and technology. We
know that so we need to expand that thinking out to fashion, painting, weaving,
designing, all girly areas that require much thought and intelligence to be
successful in a digital world.
"Maybe
a reason why all the doors are closed
So
you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like
a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And
when it's time you'll know"
In the last few years
since STEM/STEAM initiatives have been on the rise, the number of girls going
into these fields has been on the decline. How is this possible? Well,
because these fields have catered to boys. Duh. It doesn't take a brainiac to
acknowledge from first glance at the curriculum that it was developed by males
and / or by females who didn't seem to be a fan of girly interests. Now watch
this. Maybe this has an impact as well? You decide:
As far as the areas of
STEM, not all girls are going to be interested, but how do we know if they
don’t try? Just like sports, clubs, etc. There needs to be an attraction and
until recently the attraction was male driven. Made
with Code is a new program
which actually looks girly. Thank you Google! Check it out and share it withsomeone who can start an after school club or a program during the day at your
local school. I am.
Girls still have
choices. There is also another program for girls who are interested in the more
mainstreamed look of coding through the Hour of Code resources. We now have programs which meet
the wide spectrum of girls out there. We are getting there, it’s taken some
time, but I am positive that it will just keep getting better.
This week we celebrate
our freedom. Our freedom to make choices. Let’s make a choice to be accepting
and supportive all the amazing girls out there. Acting like a girl means many
positive things. Let’s not make them negative.
"Baby,
you're a firework
Come
on, let your colors burst
Make
'em go, "Aah, aah, aah"
You're
gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe"
There's nothing wrong
with girls wanting to wear pink, or blue. Wanting to shop or shoot a nerf gun.
You know what's wrong: judging our girls based on their looks and interests
instead of supporting them and encouraging them to share their unique talents
to build a brighter tomorrow. Let girls have the freedom to make choices about
what they want; to do, be a part of, to fail at and then get back up and try
again. We just need to offer them opportunities for these experiences so they
have more choices. It may take them awhile, so let them have the freedom
to experience what life has to offer them. More freedom to act like the girl
they are...and want to be.
"You
just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just
own the night like the 4th of July
'Cause,
baby, you're a firework
Come
on, show 'em what you're worth"
God bless you and yours this 4th of July and all those that keep
our freedom alive!
Sing it Katy!
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