Who Empowers You?

A friend introduced me to One World Girl a few weeks ago as she told me about the “Girl Empowerment Day at Broadway’s Anastasia.” I listened and pondered what an opportunity this event would give young women to connect and bond with one another. I imagined the attendees learning what it is like being a woman on Broadway and talking about their own experiences as women in the world. As these ideas floated through my head, I started to think about the relationships that have helped me navigate the world as a young woman. There have been many women (friends, teachers, and aunts) that have helped and encouraged me, and also a few men.

My Dad is one of the men in my life that has supported and encouraged me as I have grown as a young woman. I have memories of my Dad celebrating my accomplishments with me from a young age: everything from successfully making it to the potty on time to getting accepted into college. Recently, I have begun to notice how often I hear my Dad say, “I’m proud of you.” I frequently hear him say these words after I succeed at something that I have worked hard to achieve. He also expresses these words to me when he knows I am having a hard day.

When I shared with my Dad that I needed to walk away from something that was no longer working for me, “I’m proud of you,” were the first words I heard him say. I am very grateful for my Dad’s expression of pride in his daughter, because it has taught me that I am enough.

So many of the messages I receive as a young woman from the people and media around me are about how I am not enough. I am not attractive enough because I do not look like women in magazines. I cannot get the same jobs and pay as a man because I am not smart enough. My Dad, however, has given me a different message. I am enough to give him pride. Even on my bad days, I am more than enough.

This pause to reflect on the inspiration that I see through One World Girl has led me to realize what a big role my relationship with my Dad plays in my identity as a young woman. We, young women, cannot thrive alone. We need the love, support, and encouragement of others.

Who are the people in your life who lift you up? And who are the young women that you can encourage today?

This pause to reflect on the inspiration that I see through One World Girl has led me to realize what a big role my relationship with my Dad plays in my identity as a young woman. We, young women, cannot thrive alone. We need the love, support, and encouragement of others. Who are the people in your life who lift you up? And who are the young women that you can encourage today?