On December 2nd, the University of Ottawa Society for Women’s Empowerment organized a TedXSandy Hill Women that had as a theme “The Space Between”. The whole day was definitely inspiring and it would be hard to write down in one article all the lessons that were taught within a couple of hours. As a student in the field of Human Rights, it seems like every time I attend an event of this kind I feel both more passionate and truly inspired. Words can have an astounding impact on an individual.
Firstly, the theme of self-confidence and body image were discussed in various ways by the speakers. As Jenna Tenn-Yuk mentioned : “You are not a label, you are a sentence : love and accept who you are”. A broadcast of a Ted X talk held in Washington that weekend allowed us to hear a wide range of other speakers. Julia Bluhm and Izze Labbe are two young teenagers who didn’t understand why magazines such as Seventeen chose to photoshop their models when young girls everywhere are facing body image issues every day. Did you know that three out of four girls become depressed after looking in the mirror for three whole minutes ? They are unhappy with their bodies. It is difficult not to when the role models that the medias throw at young girls are simply not realistic. The scary part is that girls are also not taught to love their bodies, they are educated in a world where if they don’t like something they can change it, thanks to plastic surgery. Julia and Izze decided to speak up and made Seventeen magazine sign the Body peace treaty. For more information, take a look at this Her Campus article http://hercampus.com/school/u-ottawa/beauty-media-dangerous-side-photoshop . Lessons learned from those girls ? Everything is possible when you fight for what you believe. Another issue brought up during the Ted talk was the so-called war on obesity, as Lynne Hurdle-Price explains: “wars, even metaphorical, create hate not love”. She was told to be skinny growing up: not healthy. It is difficult to accept your body and have confidence in yourself when you are constantly told that anything you do, is not good enough. Love your body and seek health not magazines’ standards. Being too skinny is as unhealthy as being overweight and magazines leave that fact aside.
Secondly, gender-based violence and discrimination were also main topics. From online harassment to justifying sexual harassment based on a woman’s outfit, in 2013, those are still main issues in our society. Emily May introduced an app named Hollaback. This is no ordinary app, it is made to fight sexual harassment, using the latest technology. Indeed, you can be part of the movement to end sexual harassment simply by using your phone “by documenting, mapping, and sharing incidents of street harassment”. Still confused by the idea ? Check out the website: http://ottawa.ihollaback.org/ . This problem will not go away if we just ignore it. We have to do something about it. Victims of sexual harassment often think they are alone and want to ignore what happened, this website allows you to share and read stories to make you understand that in fact, you are not alone. As for gender-based discrimination, it is an issue more specifically in the professional world. Women still face discrimination based on their gender in multiple job environments. Did you know that 57% of all undergraduates are women ? But only 18% of Computer Science students are women. Gail Carmichael has put together a program to reach out to young girls. She wants them to learn more about what the Computer Science world has to offer to girls and break stereotypes.
Lastly, being an advocate is more than simply believing in your cause. Feminism has gained a bad connotation over the last few years. Julie Lalonde explained that activists sometimes do things that are oppressive which does not help them: when you are fighting for a cause, constructive criticism is important to succeed. Basically, do not fight fire with fire, it will create a bigger mess. She pushed forward the idea of a feminism that is funny, open and creative : “being hilarious is efficient”. And she definitely has a point: we often get lost in our arguments because we want to be right. But at the end of the day, we are all in this together. Being an advocate is not only about being passionate and as Jessica N. Pabon explained : “I don’t talk about it, I be about it”. So actually be the change you wish to see in the world. As women, and more specifically young women, we often do not get our voices heard. Even if Angela Patton mentioned that “girls know what they need, to survive, to thrive, they have the wisdom”, our voices often get buried under bureaucracy. However, things are changing, in the past decades, improvements in terms of women’s rights have been made and are noticeable. The mentality is changing and doors are opening towards a better world for not only women, but also men. Because a world where only 50% of its population enjoy their rights is a world that is not at its full potential. Fighting for your beliefs can be challenging, but take every opportunity you get as a learning experience. Apply those experiences to your personal and professional lives to make a difference. An event like this, full of different perspectives, makes you realize how precious and short life is. It definitely gives you the energy to continue projects that you have started and inspires you to start new ones. As Julie Lalonde said: if you ever feel like letting go, remember “You are too legit to quit” (MC Hammer).
If you want to see what the University of Ottawa Society for Women’s Empowerment is up to check out their facebook page ! https://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Ottawa-Society-for-Womens-Empowerment/127643047344762?fref=ts
Also, if you feel inspired and want to make a difference, here is an amazing opportunity ! On February 8th and 9th, Girls Night 2013, a conference on gender-based violence will be held on our campus ! Incredible speakers from different backgrounds will be in attendance for diverse workshops. Also, on Friday night, a concert will be held in the Terminus while the conference will wrap up with a night out at Junxion on Saturday night ! For more information check out http://pidssa.ca/?p=2047 .
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