闵锐 中国传媒大学

Girls Dare to Dream

Ladies and gentlemen,

Being a girl is horrible enough: having to wear high – heels, saving money for cosmetics, lingering in front of the bakery with an empty stomach, fighting against wrinkles for 80% of her life. Meanwhile she has to strive to be a good daughter, a good wife as well as an independent woman against the pressure from the male-dominant society.

My parents want me to be a painter or designer, for they believe that it is the “right” job for a girl, with little traveling, few inter-personal relationships and a whole lot of free time. My boy friend wants me to be gentle and lady-like, for he believes that is the “right” way to be a woman, enjoying family life and housework.

However, What DO I really want?

I couldn’t help thinking of stories of women from all walks of life who have presented the world with their legends. The household name of Hilary Clinton has turned out to be a determined politician, a tolerant wife and a caring mother. The current wife of the famous Shanghainese standup comedian Zhou Libo supported his career financially by selling her own factory. The product manager of google.com, Marissa Mayer, just over thirty years old, has shined brightly in the IT industry while enjoying her marriage.

I came to realize that I wouldn’t let go of any opportunity to make an impact on the world. Despite my shy nature, despite my previous efforts on painting, I rebelled, as a girl with a dream. I wanted my voices heard, my ideas recognized and my footprint on every continent on the earth. That’s how I came to know how much I want, from the bottom of my heart, to travel around the world as a reporter, to inform and to inspire. At this age of interconnectivity, everyone is tangled in the web of the media spider, and there is no escape. The world is in desperate need of just the truth, written by journalists who can see the underlying tones of the whole situation, to use their creativity to touch people’s souls.

Bearing this in mind, introvert as I was, I wouldn’t let my personality get in the way. In my university years, I tried in every way I could to get closer to my goal. Winston Churchill used to speak with a stammer, but it didn’t stop him from becoming the world’s most eloquent speaker. Just as he said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference”. I gradually began to see the world differently and to like different kinds of people. Instead of avoiding eye-contact, I started to be interested in their life stories, in what they have to say, their perception of the surrounding occurrences. Instead of indulging myself in my own world, I began to read more new reports and take an interest in what the mini-bloggers are discussing. Psychologists keep saying that one cannot change their personality, but as a matter of fact, I quite enjoyed that process. And actually I’ve never felt closer to my real self, to my dream.

Ladies and Gentlemen, and especially the girls sitting here, it’s time for us to stop losing weight, take off the 8-cm high heels, and brighten our faces up with a confident smile. We might be destined to be gentle, but we should stop following others’ path. We might be asked to keep quiet, but we deserve our voice to be heard. We might be expected to conceal our passion, but we should never ever forget our dream!