All of these events have made me deeply consider what “progressive” means and how this whole idea materialises in real life. Yesterday was International Women’s Day, the whole point of which is to cast off the taboo of feminism. It sheds light on things that are standing in the way of true equality. It’s about fostering recognition for the incredible contributions and achievements women have championed despite social, cultural and economic barriers. That’s the difference between misandry and feminism and the difference between social stagnancy and what is progressive.
A few days ago I had the pleasure of attending a panel event called ‘Inspiring Women’.
‘Inspiring Women’ is an annual event held by SUSU which features a line-up of successful women who are in leadership positions across varying fields. The night consisted of a panel telling us about what they have learnt on their career journey to reaching the top. The aim was to encourage you to accomplish your ambitions. I cannot stress how valuable the night truly was for everyone who attended, both men and women alike.
Before the event started. Smiling from the complementary canapés!
Challenge your perceptions
One of the women who spoke was Lynne Parker who owns a comedy company called Funny Women. They run comedy workshops for workplaces to aspiring female comedians from Edinburgh to Brighton. Lynne set up the company when someone told her the reason why only a few women are in comedy is because women simply aren’t funny. Nearing her 60th birthday, Lynne asked the audience to challenge their perception of older women – just because someone tells you that you may not look the part, doesn’t mean they are right!
Just get over yourself!
With over 10 years of experience working in film and television, Emma Smithwick was the youngest in the panel. It was surprising when Emma said she actually did French and Law at university and even worked in the law industry in France before she decided to get into creative media.
With effort and perseverance she found herself in the BBC working on Saturdays and Sundays on other people’s productions for free just to get experience. She even had a part in the creation of one of my favourite films, Little Miss Sunshine, by being the first to see the potential in its script. A few years later she found herself working on set of the popular Channel 4 show Hollyoaks, and was offered the position of executive producer. She turned it down a couple of times, thinking that they must have been mad to have even thought about offering it to her.
Then Emma told us about a networking event where a lady spotted her in the corner, hiding away from the rest of the crowd. The lady apparently approached her for friendly chat. After mentioning her fear of networking the lady, in all of her well-meaning, said “No one in this room is singling you out and thinking ‘we don’t want to talk to her’… we’re all strangers here so take this fear and just get over yourself!”
Sometimes you are the only barrier to your own success and sometimes you just need to get over yourself! Emma took the job with Hollyoaks in the end.
All were welcome to attend; it was nice to see daughters coming to the event as well.
Some of the lessons I learnt from the panel are things I will take away with me for a long time. Younger people can especially benefit from them.
You’re not an imposter
Paula Claisse, a regional head in the South for KPMG, was the last of the panellist and she gave what is quite possibly the best advice about confidence. She pointed out that you may sometimes dismiss your success through luck or timing or as a result of deceiving others into thinking you’re good enough. In actual fact, you are good enough. This inability to accept accomplishments is actually quite common among high-achieving women and men, and has been coined as Impostor Syndrome.
It helps knowing others experience it too. Now that I know this is a problem, I am going to find more time to look at things from a wider perspective so I can better accept what I have done well and where I can do better.
The women in the panel were TV producers, company ownders and more. However, they were also mothers and sisters. They were different ages, and different shapes and sizes. What the event has really highlighted was that reaching the top does not necessarily equate to money, but can mean doing what you enjoy or doing what you’re great at.
Look out for the event again next year and I guarantee you that you won’t be disappointed.
Rylyn
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