As soon as this video came across my Instagram feed, I knew i needed to do a write up on it. This video shows all the ways women are pulled in different directions constantly- all while coming back to the common theme of: “Be a lady they said”. The video begins by attacking a woman’s appearance. “Be skinny.. go on a diet… be a size 0… be a size 00.. eat something! You’re too skinny!” Next, it transitions into attacking a woman’s personality. “Be a cool girl.. don’t be like the other girls… don’t be intimidating.. smile! Why aren’t you smiling?” Be a lady they said!

The message I took from this video was that there is not a definition for what it is to be a lady, yet we are constantly chasing this image. Women are constantly chasing the persona of the idea appearance and personality. Another message I took from this was the detrimental effect social media and the fashion industry have on our self esteem. When looking at photoshopped pictures of Instagram models claiming we need their product, we start to believe we are not good enough as we currently are. We are constantly reminded why others are better than us and that thought is reinforced by likes and comments. The fashion industry is fueled by women looking at their imperfections and paying millions of dollars on chasing a perfection that does not exist.

I related this argument on the fashion industry to the documentary we watched in class. All girls competing in the Miss India Competition were chasing perfection. They were being shown how to walk, talk, dress, pose, and act. They were also being forced to receive botox because their face was not the “ideal shape”. When a young Indian girl sits and watches this competition, they then are convinced this is how they should act and look like, and the cycle continues.

As a senior on campus, I have found that it is very difficult to have a healthy self-esteem here. Personally, I have an issue of comparing myself to everyone, and here more than anywhere it is very easy to sit back and think of everyone having a perfect life. However, it is important for me to remember that what I see only tells half the story. No one’s life is as perfect as it seems- no matter how cute their outfit or designer bag makes it seem.

Sex and the City has always been one of my favorite shows. I grew up as a fan watching with my Mom and looked up to these “glamorous” women as role models. I simply wanted to be Carrie Bradshaw when I grew up. I saw them sipping their cosmos, chatting about the issues in their lives (mostly concerning the current guy in their life). As time went on, I found myself being able to understand more of the central issues- as well as why my mom made me cover my eyes or ears whenever Samantha was featured. Today this show is still a favorite, but one thing has changed. I no longer want to be anything like Carrie Bradshaw. Carrie is the main character and is meant to be seen as the quirky yet beautiful women you want to be best friends with.

It took me reading the book “We Should All Be Mirandas”, to fully understand the large flaw in her character. She ALWAYS needed a man to be chasing after, breaking up with, or dramatically falling for. She is hardly single during the show and being boy-crazy is one of her main personality traits. The book points out this flaw and also brings to light as to why one of the least favorite characters, Miranda should be the woman we all aspire to be. Miranda has shown throughout the story her independence as well as her professional drive. While being a successful lawyer, she is able to also be a nurturing mother. She chased her dream and then met a great guy. One scene specifically, she is being talked down to at work because of her gender. She responds to this by speaking up and telling the powerful men at the table that their behavior is unacceptable. Growing up, I was drawn to Carrie’s cute clothes, but now, I am inspired by Miranda’s resilience.

I related the argument brought forward in this book to our recent class reading, “The Treatment of Bibi Haldar”. In this passage, Bibi is told endlessly that she needs a man to “cure” her. She is taught she is unable to be complete by herself. Although less far-fetched- Carrie Bradshaw is a more glamorous version of Bibi. She is not complete without a man and looks for happiness in a relationship. Carrie is an example of the modern day Bibi. Many young women are unhappy with themselves and search for approval in a partner. While it is not a doctor telling us that we will stop having seizures if we find a man, we are still being told that a woman needs a man to be happy- even on shows I have been watching my whole life.

On February 10th, I attended the Charles Franklin Finch lecture titled “Practicing Pilgrimage” by Dr. Stephanie Paulsel. I was very impressed to see that this lecture has been put on for sixty years! Dr. Paulsel attended Greensboro College and is now a Christian Studies Professor in Harvard Divinity School. Dr. Pausel spoke about the ancient practices of Pilgrimage and how it can be used today. The majority of her lecture was discussing a Pilgrimage she embarked on. I was interested in attending this lecture because I was very unfamiliar with the practice of Pilgrimage. Infact, I didn’t really know people still went on Pilgrimages in today’s society. Dr. Paulsel started with why both she and her sister decided to embark on a Pilgrimage. They were seeking absolute freedom and followed a Henry David Thoreau Model. This emphasizes the beauty of simplicity and harmony. They also followed the story of Saint Cuthbert. Who was a monk with a spunky attitude and known for his witty comments. They joked that Saint Cuthbert was watching over them during their journey. This joke was brought into life when a caring man took the time to watch over them to make sure they go through a patch of deep mud. They ended up seeing him again at a church service later that day and exchanged a simple wave. I wonder if the man understands the impact that he has made on their story. Dr. Paulsel also spoke about how her sister’s occupation affected the Pilgrimage. Her sister works with refugee children and thought about them everyday during the Pilgrimage. Together they thought of questions such as “what if we did not have shoes?”, “what if we did not know where we were going?”, “what if we did not know if we were going to be safe when we got to our destination?”. They constantly thought about the refugee children throughout their trip and all the troubles they faced. These questions made them both feel upset about the troubles the children face while also being grateful for what they have. These questions emphasized how much the journey meant to them and how reflective they were. Dr. Paulsel concluded her lecture by saying how many different forms of walking there are. When you read, listen to music, watch a movie, exercise, do yoga, talk- you are walking. Each of these things allows you to reflect and take a journey. She said, “not everyone can walk, but everyone can be a Pilgrim.” This speaker related to class by how talented she was at storytelling. Dr. Paulsel reinforced the power of storytelling. With her reading of the Pilgrimage, she is able to move people into a different time, and experience something unlike anything they have ever experienced. They also got through their journey together by telling stories to each other. I found this lecture very interesting and Dr. Paulsels storytelling skills are incredible. She brought the story to life for everyone in the audience. Her credentials are also very impressive as she is very involved in Harvard University’s campus ministry.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/us-soccer-mens-union-says-womens-pay-should-be-tripled

I remember exactly where I was in 2019, watching the Women’s US National Team win the World Cup in France. In fact, I remember anxiously watching the Women getting crowned world champions in 2015 as well. There is something incredibly special about cheering for your country. A country collectively cheering for a team that represents themselves has a way of bringing everyone together. The patriotism you feel while watching a team wear your Country’s flag is a really special feeling, one that I struggle put into words. I represent just one of the millions of people across the globe that has been impacted by these amazing, strong, dare I say, badass women. However, in 2015, when I was a sophomore in high school, I was completely unaware of the pay gap that existed between the US Men and Women’s teams. When this information all came to light I remember feeling absolutely confused. I did not understand how this could be right in a world where I was raised I could do anything regardless of my gender.

It is no secret that the US Women’s National Team should be paid more. Their success proves that alone. However, coming across this article stating the US Men’s Soccer Union said “the women were due at least triple what our expired deal was worth in player compensation.” For the Men’s Team to say on their own that the women deserve triple than what they make was extremely eye opening. I do not agree with men and women’s sports being so closely compared, as both leagues in any sports have different styles of play and different fan bases. However, I believe athletes should receive compensation based upon their success and the money they bring in. While the margin of earning between the two teams is slim, the amount of success the Women have achieved should be the deciding factor in the compensation amount.

The article also touches upon the Men requiring more money than their previous contract. I am not as familiar with this issue, but the idea that neither teams are happy with their pay appears that it could be an industry-wide issue – possibly not gender. Maybe this association is just poorly ran and they lack the funds to provide adequate compensation to either teams.

As a huge NFL fan, I was very excited to see an ad premier during the Super Bowl that touched upon women in sports. I was even more excited to see that it featured Carli Lloyd, a US Woman World Cup champion. The advertisement shows a crowd intensely watching perhaps one of the most nerve wracking parts of a football team (the kicker kicking a field goal). To the fans pleasure, the kicker makes the field goal perfectly. The crowd roars with excitement. Suddenly all the cheers silence when the kicker takes off her helmet and it is revealed that it is a woman! The crowd is shocked, then continues cheering and celebrating the victory. Upon further research, I found Carli Lloyd was used for this commercial because she went viral earlier this year for making a 55 yard field goal during a Philadelphia Eagles practice.

I thought this ad sent a really awesome message to young female athletes. Maybe the reason they believe they cannot do something is because other people believe they are not capable. What if this mindset is what limits girls in sports? While I do not believe this is an issue that can be solved with a Super Bowl commercial, I really enjoyed the awareness it brought to the viewers. Growing up with older brothers, I believed I could compete with them simply because they were the only ones I competed with at home. I did not know any different. When I entered youth leagues, I felt the disconnect. It was really interesting to see this shown on a national platform such as a Super Bowl ad.

One issue I did have with the commercial was the vague message it brought forward by saying #KickingInequality. There was not really a call for action or any message past brining forward the issue. Perhaps when viewers searching the hashtag online could find more information.

Student’s Opinions Article https://www.wsj.com/articles/should-trans-women-compete-in-women-s-sports-11573602744

While listening to the News last week, I was interested to hear a story regarding the argument of allowing Transgender Women compete in Women’s Sports. I believe the reason I was so interested in this article was not because I had a strong opinion, but because it is an issue that has many complex issues. Upon researching this topic more, I found an interesting article displaying three college student’s viewpoints. All four of the opinions show different sides and present different facts. After reading and thinking critically about the issue at hand, I still do not have my mind completely made up, but I thought this issue could serve as an interesting topic that goes along with conversations we have had in class.

The main argument for why Transgender Women should not be able to compete in Women’s sports is that regardless of what gender someone identifies as, a biological born male will have more testosterone than a female. Due to this, men naturally outperform women. This creates an unfair advantage for the biological women competing in these leagues. In fact, if a women was caught artificially increasing their testosterone through drugs, they will get kicked out of most sports leagues. This argument sparked a thought about elementary school physical fitness testing. In these tests, girls had different times, weights, and expectations as boys. Looking back, I wonder if these standards were set with the idea that boys have more testosterone to outperform the girls- or with the small-minded view that boys are just more athletic than girls.

An argument that is in favor of allowing Transgender Women to compete in Women’s sports brings forward very interesting points. They start with the idea that America prides itself on the universal ideas of freedom, and excluding transgender athletes goes against the principles we stand upon. This viewpoint counteracts the testosterone opinion by saying “that may be true, but it is a small price to pay in the pursuit and maintenance of freedom and well-being”.. It can be powerful beyond measure to be accepted and by the same token, psychically damaging to be excluded because of who you are.”

To be completely honest as a high school varsity athlete, I would not believe it is fair to play against biologically born boys. On the other hand, I am not able to adequately put myself into a person who has transitioned shoes. I cannot imagine what they have gone through, and perhaps allowing them to play in Women’s sports ins a small price I could pay to make their story a little bit easier.

Kelly Grier CPA Practice Advisor Interview

This past summer I had the oppertunity to listen to Kelly Grier, CPA, speak at an Ernst & Young intern conference. Kelly holds the title of Managing Partner at Ernst & Young, LLC. Immediately I was inspired by her confidence, intelligence, and humility. Since seeing her speak, I have viewed Kelly as my professional role model. I was very excited to see she was honored with the title of “2019 Most Powerful Woman in Accounting”.

In her interview while receiving this title, she gives advice for women beginning a career in accounting as well as fostering an enviornment where women can feel comfortable. Kelly also goes on to sharing her personal journey through accounting. I noticed that several of her powerful answers that relate to the themes we visit in class. In this interview, Kelly is asked, “What would you suggest to accounting firms that are interested in retaining and advancing more qualified female staff?” She answered it is important to foster an enviornment where all employees feel comfortable. She notes this is fundamental in allowing all employees to thrive. She also touches upon how essential it is for all employees to have access to programs such as paid paternal leave and work-life balance flexibility. This related to the general feminism definition we have visited in class. I really enjoy Kelly’s mindset of how all employees should be benefiting from opportunities, rather than women simply receiving extra help or support.

The next advice Kelly shared can also be related to a message in class. She was asked to share a personal rule or principle she follows. The piece of advise she gave was, “I think one of the most important things you can do as leader is to build a diverse, dynamic team and empower them to bring bold, forward-thinking ideas to the table. Only by listening and drawing all people into a discussion – and giving them permission to speak freely even when they disagree with you – can you fully unlock the potential of your team, drive innovation and deliver the best solutions to your clients”. I loved this answer and I believe this can summarize many of the goals American feminist have fought and continue to fight for. I also enjoy how she did not just stop at everyone having a place at the table, but to have the freedom and empowerment to speak up. I really enjoyed reading this interview and am extremely fortunate that even in the field of accounting, I have such strong women role models to look up to.