Women are stingy and it’s killing our professional lives
As Women’s History Month rolls to a close, we’ve been thinking about what it takes to be a woman who makes history. As we are involved in making media to empower girls, it’s an important question. What does it mean to empower someone? What are the values and attributes someone needs to make a difference in the world?
At Gangly Sister, we boil it down to the following 4 essentials: Confidence, Conviction, Contribution and Persistence
Confidence
To build confidence in our girls, it’s important to let them know they are perfect. The ideals and stereotypes portrayed in the media can overwhelm us and make us think that somehow, we don’t belong. Gangly Sister content portrays kids who are who they are. Purple and Nine don’t fall into some specific bucket of good kid, popular kid, geeky kid, or any other specific “type.”
As humans, our self-confidence is founded on knowing we are OK just the way we are, and that our individuality is loved and appreciated. Being the same as everyone else is unlikely to help you make history, so our first pillar is to be yourself and have confidence that whoever you are is good enough.
Conviction
Sometimes being a heroine is as simple as sitting in a seat marked “whites only” when you aren’t. Sometimes it is just speaking your mind. Nine epitomizes that value. While most other kids go with the flow, Nine simply speaks her mind when she sees something is wrong.
In other words, once you have the confidence that you are good enough, the next pillar is to have the conviction to take action to fulfill your dreams.
Caring and contribution
Changing the world is a direct outcome of caring about something beyond yourself. Some people change the world simply to be able to provide a great lives for their children or communities, while others have a passion or desire to express themselves. Whatever it is, making history is almost always about the ability to look beyond your own problems and find a way to give more to the world.
Purple and Nine aren’t conscious of their desire to help as being something special—because it isn’t. It’s a natural outcome of being a complete human being. We made sure our comics doesn’t include any violence or evil villains, because, let’s face it – the world has enough problems for Purple and Nine to solve.
Persistence
Almost all of our achievements are the result of persistence. Even when we have a lucky break, it usually happens after a long streak of not-so-lucky breaks.
Purple and Nine fail more often than they succeed, and it doesn’t slow them down. While Purple often feels upset or worried when her attempts fail, Nine doesn’t even seem to notice. If you said “it’s just a bump in the road,” she’d wonder what you meant. The trial and error IS the road for Nine.
Bumps in the road
Yes, we’ve had our share of bumps in the road, but we are doing well on our path today. We’re planning to have the first issues of the Purple and Nine comic book out to you soon! Sign up for the newsletter to make sure you’re the first to know.
What else?
What else does it take to make history? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
About the author
Rebecca Rachmany is the CEO of Gangly Sister. As a high-tech entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience, Rebecca is a partner in the Microsoft Ventures Azure R&D Accelerator. She has served over 100 high-tech companies and startups in their marketing efforts.
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