By Mrs Laura Woodwood, Senior School PE Teacher
Definition – “Girl Power”: used in reference to an attitude of independence, confidence, and empowerment among young women
When Sporty, Ginger, Baby, Posh and Scary hit the stage in 1997, “Wannabe” Girl Power was the saying on everyone’s lips. Nowadays we have a whole new meaning to the term Girl Power with athletes such as Jessica Ennis, Kate Richardson-Walsh, Laura Kenny and Geva Mentor showcasing their hard work in athletics, hockey and netball just to name a few. Teresa May and Hilary Clinton are helping to demonstrate that women are a force to be reckoned with and that women are highly regarded within the government.
An article about Girl Power wouldn’t be complete without some inspiring quotes from those who inspire women all over world:
Jessica Ennis said “The only one who can tell you “you can’t win” is you and you don’t have to listen.” Something that I feel we all suffer from is that moment of self-doubt. Nobody knows how much you have in the tank except you and nobody knows how much energy or effort you’ve just used except you.
“I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I’m the first Simone Biles”. We all aspire to be like someone or as good as someone whether they be famous or someone in the same class but there is only one of you so you need to be the best version of ‘you’ that you can be.
“On my own I will just create, and if it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, I’ll create something else. I don’t have any limitations on what I think I could do or be.” Oprah Winfrey.
Did you know that the circular saw was invented by a woman named Tabitha Babbit, The Engine Muffler was invented by El Dorado Jones, Kevlar-a fibre found in crash helmets and bulletproof vests invented by Stephanie Kwolek and the windscreen wiper by Mary Anderson. For hundreds of years women have been doing incredible things but now more than ever the playing field is wide open for young women to close the gender gap and show that something men will never poses is “Girl Power.”
Top tips to being a successful young woman:
- Don’t expect perfection from yourselves or others, we all make mistakes, we all have bad days and our strengths are different from everyone else’s.
- Plan and Set Goals. Write your goals down, have long and short term goals, read them regularly to remind yourself and reward yourself when you achieve them.
- Be passionate about what you do. Even if it’s obscure or nobody else around you has the same passion be proud and bold about all you do.
- Take risks. This doesn’t mean being reckless but simply calculating a risk and assessing if some good could come from stepping out of your comfort zone.
- Changing our mind set is important to succeed as powerful girls and women in 2017 rather than meeting friends for a coffee or going to the cinema why not join a sports club or team or go for a walk instead, try something new you never know, you might have a hidden talent.
- Women are more prone to diseases such as osteoporosis. Exercise is proven to make our bones stronger helping to protect us from such diseases.
- Look after yourself. Ensure you get enough iron in your diet from sources such as lean meat, lentils, green veg and red fruits.
Finally all successful women believe in themselves!