Tuesday Blues

It's the kind of cold that requires a shower to thaw out.  

Let's browse the internet for things, shall we? 

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This weather reminds me of DK - surprise, surprise.  

PS - met a friend at work who studied in CPH + now we attempt to speak Danish to one another.

Hej min elskede! 

^^^ This ensemble - aka the shoes.  Currently on the hunt.  

This article - about women losing their power in Congress once the Republicans took over.  The line starts here for angry feminists.  

And devastating news - bye Jon Stewart.  

The Confidence Gap

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I was sitting in a review session during exam week when I heard the girl behind me stress out about our upcoming final.  She was frantic about the concepts, the applications that we would use, and passing the class in order to graduate in this past May.  

Then something really predictable happened.  The guy next to her, calm and poised, said"Don't worry, it's all about confidence.  I don't know this stuff at all, but I know I'm gonna do fine."

So, let's talk about The Confidence Gap. 

Because it's so real. 

I've known it to be true that the women in my life are double and triple checking, worrying, making to-do lists; they are making things happen.  Now, not that men aren't, but there seems to be a hurried sense of urgency that men don't seem to have.  Some call that confidence.  I would agree.

If you've read Lean In, you've probably heard about this before and while you listened or read about her life experiences in and out of the office, it probably clicked.  The 'Sit at the Table' story clicked for me as I remembered intern meetings where all of the female interns sat in the chairs around the table, but the male interns sat down at the table.  

I've pulled some interesting reading material about females in power, the dynamics between them and their male counterparts. See for yourself if the "confidence gap" is real in your workspace or at home. 

1. The Atlantic Are People Becoming More Open To Female Leaders? 

2.  The Atlantic // The Confidence Gap by Katty Kate & Claire Shipman

3. Schoolgirls: Young Girls, Self Esteem, and The Confidence Gap

4. One Place You Won't Find the Confidence Gap

5. Are You Being Held Back by the Confidence Gap?

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Storify: The Smart Girls Summit

 I couldn't be more proud to be a part of such an incredible organization.  Unfortunately, my housing fell through for the 2 nights I was supposed to stay in NYC, so I wasn't able to make it up to the conference.  It worked out just fine as I lived through my twitter feed and retweeted like a crazy woman.

I've used Storify to piece together some of the best parts of the day!  Check it out.

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Shailene Woodley

I am so fascinated with Shailene Woodley. 

She is the hippiest of the hippies & I find it so interesting.  She has every chance to be a typical Hollywood starlet & rejects all of it on a daily basis. 

1. The 21 Most Feminist Things Shailene Woodley Has Ever Said

2. Shailene Woodley and Brie Larson Are Out To Conquer Hollywood - And Fix It.
3. "When I started thinking about acting, I was like, ‘Why do I love it so much? Why do I feel so fueled from it?’ And I realized it’s because when I see most films, I leave feeling affected and inspired and emotionally captivated. And all of that has to be based in truth.”
4. "You forget that you do choose your life and there are so many things to be grateful for and I feel like society has gotten to that point where we’re always looking for the next and the better and we lose sight of what’s actually in front of us."
5. “For me, one of the things that I'm so passionate about in life is empowering young girls to reconnect with their personal power. There's this trend in society where, up till The Hunger Games, which was 1 of the very first young adult series that did this, it was usually the damsel in distress, or the girl possessing to change herself for love…there are a lot of motion pictures where a person falls in adore with a person else primarily based purely on attraction, and there's no depth, and no conversation. It just feeds the fire of materialism, and feeds the fire of make up, and false attire, and whatnot. The one particular point I truly loved about Divergent is that Tris is a heroine and fights for what she believes in, is passionate about it, and is prepared to threat her life for the higher good of humanity, but also, the relationship amongst her and Theo. I really feel quite proud to be a portion of a franchise that doesn't exploit young adore, and doesn't exploit what that implies, and genuinely treats it tenderly. They're far more partners than they are lovers, and for me, that's what I want in my life.”

How do you feel about Shailene? 

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#IAmThatGirl Pt. 2

I fell head over heels because of these words by the fabulous Alexis Jones when reading the next 100 pages of I Am That Girl.  Here are the ones that captivated my heart.

"I realized that when we have truly built a reputation on making good decisions, of unbridled self-discipline, unwavering work ethic with a strong moral compass, that in spite of circumstance and temptation, people are willing to invest in us." // 104

"You attract what you are." // 105

"You have so many gifts to offer this world and you owe it to yourself (and to all of us) to be remarkable today." // 108

"I believe in a world where girls empower girls, a world in which we are each other's biggest supporters and our greatest cheerleader, a world where we are taught to celebrate one another's gifts, not to be threatened by them." // 134

"...fight for something that doesn't make sense to anyone but you." // 134

"...magic lives where fear and magic intersect."  // 137

"Being the captain of your ship is a power that most people dream of, but never have the guts to take, and that can make them resentful." // 140

"I do know that life is not too short, but rather, far too long for you to waste another day not seeking out every adventure calling your name." // 147

"In that space, I'm able to connect with the best parts of me, to really see me in all her infinite brilliance."  // 165

"And that requires digging deep into your soul on a daily basis and making the choice to be joyful, not because you have the perfect job, found the love of your life, or won the lottery, but because you chose to be that way." // 168

"Being an optimist is not the same as being naive or ignorant, in fact, it takes far more discipline to extend tolerance over judgement, faith over fear, and love over hate."  // 187

"Be a source of light - that is the real test of living well." // 187

"The reality is that the greatest map we have to our life's awesome quest is actually imprinted inside the walls of our heart, and the constellation of stars guiding us along our journey are the phenomenal people we are surrounded by."  // 199

"My identity is more found in who I love than in who I feel I need to be.  I can smoothly answer, 'I don't know,' and find power in my acceptance of the grandness and enormity of this beautiful life and my beautiful, learning mind."  - Yvonne Randolph 101 

What inspiration have you sought out after today?  Share it in the comments below :) 

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#IAmThatGirl Pt. 1

I am finding so much therapy in I Am That Girl by Alexis Jones.  

Every word has me thinking, every testimony of strengths and choices and wishes has me wondering, questioning, and planning.  What a perfect time to read such an uplifting and inspiring piece of work! Alexis Jones dreamed of changing the world and worked her bum off to do so.  She has started her own nonprofit, I Am That Girl that empowers women to believe they are enough, they do enough and they can be exactly who they want to be.  

I thought that I'd split up the book in thirds & let you walk this transformational journey with me. 

I'm falling in love with words all over again.  

So here are the words that moved me (and my pen) and I think they'll move you too.  

All quotes unless otherwise described are by the author, Alexis Jones.  

"To invalidate part of who you are, to cast it out as "imperfect" and pretend it's not an integral part of you, means you will never fully know or love you." xvii 

"This book is my attempt to inspire that girl in you: the girl who has the potential to create magic, to ignite change, and to inspire the world." xix

"I speak my truth." xxi

"I throw my hands up, close my eyes, and revel in life's awesome and mysterious ride." xxii

"I owe it to myself to be remarkable, so I am." xxiii

"...don't let self-doubt keep your magic from the rest of us.  We want in." - Jackie Tohn

"...somewhere, someone else has already won this battle for me." - Mashad Vakili

"You are so much more valuable to everyone around you and to the world if you begin everyday knowing exactly who you are and try to be the best, brightest version of yourself." 22

"Do one thing every day that represents a conscious effort to expose yourself to the extraordinary instead of the ordinary, the profound instead of the pedestrian, the breathtaking instead of the mind-numbing." - Gina Rudan

"Your own words are the bricks and mortar of the dreams you want to realize.  Your words are the greatest power you have.  The words you choose and their use establish the life you experience." - Sonia Croquette 

"There is nothing more beautiful than a confident woman who knows what she wants." 66

"... a reason to feel electric." 81

"Empowerment is recognizing that in any situation, no matter how small or lost or scared you feel, you have a choice in how you choose to react to your life circumstances.  Exercising that choice is a freedom and it's also the warehouse of your power." 82

"You have mountains to move, dreams to dream, and a world to change, even if the only world is your own." 83

Are you excited for Pt. 2?  Same :) 

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Raising Ms. President

I can only presume that most of my readers are women (Hi, Mom!) and I can also guess that most of you have a desire, goal or wish to be, do, or become something.  

But how many of you hoped to become the President of the United States?  Or, president of your senior class?  Or the class representative in the 4th grade?  

If so, why?

Were you sure that you were an effective communicator, an easy going person that connected with others?  Did you know that you could easily represent others?  

  If not, why?

Did you second guess your ability to lead, to make decisions, or to reason?  Were you worried your peers wouldn't take you seriously?  

Same!  Women are conflicted everyday to make big decisions or leaps of faith because of the Confidence Gap, which is directly associated with women's thought process when thinking of running for office.  Sociologists and Political Scientists alike found that the reason women weren't running for office was more deeply rooted than their choices as an adult.  They found that from the very beginning we are socializing our girls in ways that might not encourage them to be a leader or run for office.  I know from experience when I announced that I would be a political science major, I was greeted with the "You're too delicate for politics" lines and "politics is a man's world" scenarios.  Clearly this is more common than we thought.  

Kiley Parker describes this as "a documentary about the reasons why women don't run for office and what organizations, families and individuals can do in order to encourage more women to run. Women do make a difference, but the problem of getting them to imagine themselves as political leaders is deeper and more systemic than many studies originally thought."

Here is an infographic that explains the benefits of women in power.

We were lucky enough have the chair of our Political Science department bring Kiley Parker to Washington College for a film screening.  I was so energized after the documentary and I really think that at some point down the road, I would love to work for an organization that inspires women to run for office.  Let's make sure we are asking our little girls just as often as we ask our little boys, "Do you want to be the President of the United States?"  And hopefully soon enough we will see our first Ms. President.  

Be sure to follow Kiley Parker's journey on Twitter at @RaisingMsPresident & follow Raising Ms President on Pinterest!  

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Smart Girls

Calling all Smart Girls, have you heard of The Smart Girls Group?

I'm so excited to finally announce that I'm working with the Smart Girls Group on their exec staff as their Bookings Director.  It is such a LOVELY sisterhood and an amazing magazine that brings some of the best women together to learn and grow.  We had our first meeting tonight over Google Hangout and it's amazing knowing that I'm connecting with women in NYC, Austin, and Paris to collaborate on this wonderful mission: to empower the next generation of super star women who make the world a better place.

In addition to my #SmartGirl project, I've taken on communications and strategy work for a Congressional Campaign, and political research for a Women's Magazine called Vitamin W.  

I was worried that I was taking on too much, and then I saw this on Pinterest, and now I'm not so worried.  I'm doing things that I love & I'm so excited to be a part of them! 

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What new challenges and projects have you guys been taking on lately?   

Link Loves

Loving so many articles this week on the web.  Thought I'd share a few.

PS Can't wait to reveal a few new projects that are in the works. 

I'll give you a hint: SGG.

Kaitlin + myself exploring Hamlet's castle in Denmark.

Thought Catalog "Letter to all of the Wanderlust-stricken Souls"

This article was really wonderful to read and reminisce about my travels in Europe.  If you've had the luxury to travel alone, I commend you and encourage to do it as often as you can.  With graduation approaching, this article makes me want nothing more than to pick up everything and backpack around Europe for the rest of the summer.  There is still so much I have yet to see and I'm itching and eager to just go. 

"I Am A Ukrainian." 

I'd like to think of myself as pretty 'up to date' with current events, however I was so inspired by a classmate today when she told us in Feminist Playwright class (right? it's an ah-mazing class) that she gets her news global.  She diligently checks the daily news from networks and publications of that country, not specifically American sources of international news.  I think that is amazing and I'm really interested in doing that for myself.  

This youtube called, "I Am A Ukrainian" shows the devastating turmoil in the Ukraine.  It is absolutely  heartbreaking but I'm so glad this video is going viral.  This conversation needs to happen.  

Here is another great article about the revolts occurring in Kiev right now. 

Things That Haven't Changed for Women Since the Feminine Mystique

I literally just received my $3 copy of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique in the mail 2 days ago.  It was today in 1963 that the leading lady published this status quo shattering read.  A few weeks ago in Women and Politics (another ah-mazing class) we spent some time on second wave feminism and I fell madly in love with the movement.  I was always aware of its implications, but watching clips of protests and hearing from women of that time was really moving for me.  I can't wait to catch up on actual school work so I can get started. 

Any thoughts on Ukraine?  Or The Feminine Mystique?  

Let's start chatting!