Quote:
Originally Posted by BThompson
As a Dean's List Finalist I was told that I would have a picture taken with Mr. Noel Lee, President of Monster. We were told, "Mr. Lee would like you to pick a set of headphones. Put them around your neck for the picture." There were two colors available: pink and matte black. Never having liked pink I asked for the black set to wear for the picture but was told, "No, you must wear the pink ones." Just because I am a girl?
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If you were asked to do this, it was not by FIRST. Please know your story has been noted. In the future, sponsors asking for media will need to be more logical about things like this.
I'll try and track down a copy of the speech, if the video of the Dean's List ceremony isn't yet up on FIRST's YouTube channel. I got to spend some considerable time with Lynn, and I know the intent behind her words was certainly NOT 'I'm here to make you look pretty'.
As I've said before, her thoughts on bringing her more female-oriented companies to Championship was to help make the FIRST community aware of the outreach she has planned to do through them, to help bring girls who have not yet seen FIRST into our community. She wants to use these companies as well as others to help reach out and spread the message of FIRST. She's not here to 'fix up' the existing people in FIRST, she's here to get us more people. Yes, more girls, with varying interests.
One of the main points in her speech, and why she brought I Am Jane to the CMP, was the company's motto: "Compassion is contagious". She feels that the more confident a person feels in their own skin, the more energetic and enthusiastic they're going to be about the world around them. Nowhere in her speech did she say that people HAD to wear makeup to be confident, valued, or any of the other things we seem to be assigning here. In fact, I'm almost certain she said something about the fact that what brings you confidence is different for each person.
I think what she was hoping for as a response was excitement from the community about a new way to bring young women who might be discouraged from science & tech BECAUSE they are 'girly girls', into FIRST.
Was bringing a makeup station to Championship the best way to communicate that? Maybe, maybe not. But I sincerely hope the community can understand what her intent was - to get us, the existing FIRST community - girls and boys alike- behind this movement to help get some new FIRSTers from other audiences.
As Dean has said time and time again, we're preaching to the choir if we're only telling other techies about FIRST. It's time to get to the point of a household name, and we can't do that if we only stick within our own crowd.