I enjoyed the movie Miss Representation last week in class.  I have seen everything the women talked about in things I watch and listen to, but it never really sank in until I watched this movie.  Now whenever I see a movie, I analyze the women in the movie.  I look at what they are wearing, and how there character takes part in the movie.  Every picture of a celeb that catches my eye, I laugh at because I know how fake it is.  It makes me wonder why women are not good enough with the way they naturally look.  In the 1700's it was enough, I wonder when and how we as women became not enough.  I hope to change the view of women in my writings, but I also try to help this problem by doing other things as well.  I try to make sure my younger brothers do not see women as objects but as people who are pretty enough the way they are.  I also only associate myself with guys who think i'm good enough without being what the media feels is beautiful.

I was with the Girl Scout troop every other Sunday.  I feel with issues we covered about body image, and the way media portrays beauty that the girls walked away with knowing who they are is already beautiful enough.  We showed them a video that talked about photoshop being used on 99.9% of every picture in a magazine.  Afterwards they wrote on their pages what beautiful is.  Most of their responses left me knowing they felt beauty was more than looks, and who they were already was good enough despite what society puts out.  I learned I like to include people I am leading into the conversation and leave everything opened up to questions.  The girls were awesome to work with, and taught me how much things have changed since I was thirteen.  I would hope to teach my mentor something new about current age group as well as gain knowledge from their personal experience because there is no better learning tool or advice than experience.  

Over the past weeks I have heard many speakers in this class and while some of them didn't really touch me personally, others have changed the way I live my life.  The health and fitness panel really hit home with the talk of osteoporosis.  I didn't realize this was the prime age to build up bone density, but since I have found out dairy has made more of a presence in my diet.  I had always exercise and tried to eat the same time every day with snacks in between so that part did not affect me so much.

The one that did the least for me was the women in law because I was not interested in the topic.  No matter how much a woman has accomplished in her life it doesn't sink in with me unless its relevant.  It sounds mean but it is human nature and with the fast paste world we live in, I have only so much thinking space a day.

I also took the advice from the cultural panel about looking in the mirror to say something positive about yourself everyday.  I know as well as anyone else if you say something enough times it starts to become true.  It has helped me this past week dealing with stress and the feeling like I'm just failing at every aspect of life right now.

Last week was the most fun and life advice I have received from all our panels.  It was nice to have all three women be so open and honest with us about how to succeed in the world, and also how to see ourselves as a beautiful and confident woman.  It didn't feel like the past panels where the woman did give great advice, but they gave it in a way as a lecture setting.  That kind of setting sets me into a mood where I am more susceptible to zoning out with my own thoughts of writing ideas and other things going on in the room.  These women were hard to ignore, and they made the life I live today relatable to what they were saying.  I could understand where they were coming from instead of feeling like, well this might be good advice but I'm not going into this field so why should I be listening actively?  I will never forget that night.

I really enjoyed last class.  The women were inspirational not just because they were leaders, but they gave amazing advice.  They kept telling us why more women are not involved with politics, and I would have never guessed that the number one reason is confidence.  However when I thought more in depth, it makes perfect sense.  Confidence is the number one thing why anyone does anything even he/she is a bit scared a little confidence carries them through whatever they are doing.  The ladies made me want to find more confidence in my own self because as one of them said, "I learned if you're going to run for office you should be able to vote for yourself ."  So simple yet never thought about it, I always just took for granted that everybody who runs for an office always votes for himself/herself.

The last class we had with our non-profit panel was mind opening for me.  I have always been interested in non-profit, and have been involved with some throughout the past years.  Like everyone I have had my own struggles in life not to "get over", but to deal with so I could continue living.  It is still a struggle sometimes, but I have strength and hope that one day the passion I have might either create my own non-profit...or become a leader in one.  I have run races, done walks, and ran support groups for one cause since my senior year of high school.  This past year, I have not done all that I wish with the cause, but listening to those women have inspired me to get back up and at it with the cause.  When I heard the passion in these women it touched me, and brought me back to the play I wrote to help spread awareness with the cause.  I ended up raising hundreds of dollars in my small town back in West Virginia.  I hope to keep this attitude going through the year, and start raising money for the upcoming race in April down in Washington D.C.

I find it sort of ironic that I missed last class because of work.  I was really looking forward to last week's class on balance, and my...well never mind..I will not rant. I missed it and it's over but there is tonight's class to look forward to.

I think we are allowed to give an update on the woman leader we are following..so i think i will choose that to write about since i missed class.

I chose Joyce Nelson who was the CEO of The National MS Society.  She retired about four days ago.  I have been trying to find out what she will be doing next, however i have had no such luck.  I will just stick with my made up story that she is retiring to spend the rest of her time with family and friends because who wouldn't want to do that?  Anyways under her ruling..no wait that sounds too much like a dictator...under her guidance the society accomplished many successes; which i will briefly hit in tonight's presentations we must give about our leaders.