On Wednesday October 1st, Erin Foley came to Stevens to speak about women empowerment and how to lead a fearless life. Hosted by Women’s Programs, the session was meant to improve the overall college experience of women and advise them on how to lead a fulfilling and happy existence.
Foley addressed five “concepts” in female culture that hold them back. She discussed everything from beauty to confidence and confrontation. Foley brought up how in our society, women are expected to be “nice.” Unfortunately “nice” for women is associated with quietness and modesty which can hurt the confidence of individuals. Women also don’t have practice exercising confrontation because they are always meant to be “nice.” Instead women backtrack and therefore are never assertive and can never fix relationships. Foley encouraged the audience to try a few practices to feel empowered. For example, one should not apologize for how they feel; one should accept compliments and express admiration for others.
Foley was able to engage her audience from the very start of her talk. She was able to speak about instances college students can relate to from friends with boyfriends to jeans that “make one’s butt look good.” The session was also very interactive. Foley had students speak to the person sitting next to them to state good traits about themselves and each other. A positive energy circulated the room as Foley expected, since “greatness is contagious.”
Foley was able to keep her audience occupied in laughter. “You’re hysterical,” someone from the audience shouted as her talk escalated from one great point to another. Foley was able to bring up issues that were relevant to young women today. “I was fascinated to hear from a scholar who has dealt with the same issues I have,” said junior physics major Julia Tsaoussis. Foley was able to bring the room together by letting everyone see they share common concerns and doubts.
Foley showed students clips from Mean Girls and clippings from popular magazines to make the audience aware of some negative emotions that are embedded into a person’s psychology. She spoke about the inner critic that is present in everyone. She encouraged students to embrace their inner critic, but also to question it. Foley made students aware of what she calls the “dim down game.” Women tend to put themselves down in response to someone else’s self-criticism. This gets no one anywhere, she explained. Confidence and positive energy should be something everyone is comfortable with. Unfortunately, most women are not.
Overall, Foley was able to engage her audience in laughter. She addressed issues very much relevant to young women today. And she did all this with confidence, empowerment, and a smile.
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