“To be empowered means to be in control of your life, aware of your capabilities, and ready to take on even your biggest dreams.
An empowered woman is someone who knows her strengths and isn’t afraid to embrace them.
Empowered women aren’t perfect; in fact, empowered women mess up, a lot. But they learn from their mistakes, and they’re not afraid to get back on the horse after a disappointment. Empowered women take risks and they work hard to ensure that those risks pay off. They build their empire brick by brick, and they aren’t afraid to toss a brick at someone who tries to tear them down. Being empowered means being determined, confident, and fearless.
To be an empowered woman means not only believing in yourself, but also believing in those around you. Empowered women empower women. They lift up their peers, and they’re willing to help you lift that brick that’s a little heavier than the rest. A key to being empowered is surrounding yourself with hardworking, successful, empowered women who can encourage you and be an example for you when times get tough.” (source: http://futurefemaleleader.com/means-empowered-woman/)
Dr Carolyn Heldman, PhD, chair of the politics department at Occidental College and the woman behind the Ted Talk, The Sexy Lie, was asked, “What does it mean to be an empowered female?”
She answered, “I think for women it’s hard to be empowered today because we’re born into a culture that teaches women to view our bodies as projects. We make our bodies our primary value, and we’re taught to do that very young, well before we’re conscious of being thinking, acting beings.”
If you look at many of the commercials that air today on television, you will probably agree with Dr. Heldman, as many continue to exploit women as “sexy” objects not smart ones.
The Me Too Movement, along with empowered women both past and present, are helping to change how women today perceive themselves and are perceived by others…otherwise strong women finding their voices and speaking out…that is, in the United States but, in other parts of the world, that freedom doesn’t exist.
Yesterday, I attended the Desert Coast Region District III Fall Meeting. The keynote speaker, Shemayel, one of three 2018 Soroptimist International of the Americas Live Your Dream recipients, spoke of life in her native country, Afghanistan. Women in Afghanistan do not have rights – they don’t even have the right to seek medical help when they are birthing their children, and certainly, they don’t have to right to an education.
Our Soroptimist mission, to improve the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment, is a global mission…for women and girls here in Huntington Beach and for those around the world.
And so, today, I would like to end with the following about two women:
On October 28, 1958, Mary Roebling became the first woman governor of a stock exchange, The American Stock Exchange, and on May 22, 2018, Stacey Cunningham, age 43, became the first president of the New York Stock Exchange in its 226 year history. The ultimate glass ceiling may not be broken yet but…it certainly is cracked.
