Advocating Girl Power Since '88

I am lucky. I grew up in the age of Girl Power. One summer my friends and I dressed up as the Spice Girls and danced around to Wannabe in a camp talent show. I think there were more arguments around who got to be Sporty Spice than Baby. I, thankfully, avoided that fight as I had no competition for Ginger Spice. Perks of being a redhead.

I think back often about this group of strong-willed ladies who cared just as much about fashion and Jonathan Taylor Thomas as we did about scoring a goal on the soccer pitch or hitting a homerun. We sported the tomboy look one day and begged our parents for designer jeans the next. We truly had the best of both worlds. We were lucky.

Before I started working for HEINEKEN, I worked in mostly female-dominated environments. Maybe it was because of this, but I was somewhat blind to the gender injustices of the working world. Or maybe I was just young and naïve.

When I made the move to HEINEKEN, I was faced with a crazy assortment of mixed reactions from guys AND girls – ranging from “Wow, that’s so cool. Too bad it’s probably wasted on you” to “Do you even like beer? Girls don’t like beer” and my all-time personal favorite “Why would you do that? You’re going to get a beer belly.”

Well, four years later, I can assure you, nothing is wasted on me. I like beer. And I most certainly do not have a beer belly. Perhaps a pizza and chocolate belly, but that’s another story.

I think it is fantastic being a woman in beer. In fact, there’s no other industry I would want to work in right now. Working within a mostly male-dominated industry has lit a fire within me. I’m on a mission to help shape what it means to be a women in beer.

Last Thursday, the world celebrated International Women’s Day for the 103^rd time. I have mixed feelings about this day. Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world where we didn’t need IWD? A world where pay was equal. Harassment didn’t exist. The ratio of male:female CEOs at Fortune 500 companies was 50:50. In this respect, I am not lucky, because this is not the world we live in.

So, until that luck changes, we celebrate International Women’s Day.

My friend Anouk invited me to moderate a panel as part of her company’s International Women’s Day program. Anouk works for The Student Hotel, a really cool company that’s dedicated to providing state-of-the-art accommodations for students (and non-students) in cities that is affordable and sustainable, while fostering connectivity and creativity. Check them out! https://www.thestudenthotel.com/about/

The panel was part of their Think Talks series, and was aptly named “Stories of Ladies Who Disrupt in 2018.” Each of the kickass panellists told their personal stories, and then I got to host a conversation with them. Wow. Were they inspiring.

We talked about how they disrupt. I asked them what feminism means to them. And then we got to dig deeper on the work that each of them does: a strategist who helps guide clients to execute purposeful campaigns, an international lawyer who founded a company to help refugee women in the Netherlands build their social and economic capital, and a soccer player who started Favela Street, a program for girls from low-income neighborhoods in Brazil that get them involved in soccer and off the streets. Check them out!

1. Christina Moreno | CEO She Matters - She Matters empowers refugee and migrant women to build their social and economic capital, boost their self-confidence as well as become leaders in their homes, businesses and communities. www.shematters.nl

2. Rocky Hehakaija | Only female member of world's best street football team Street Legends & Director of Favela Street Girls – Creating a new generation of strong (female) role models through street football.
https://www.favela-street.com/

3. Jessica Perri | Founder of INCITE – Jessica creates pro-social strategies for Fortune 500 companies. She speaks at events like SXSW, Advertising Week and Slush about how purpose can be used to strengthen brand relevancy. In her spare time, Jessica is a writer and activist. http://inciteideas.nl

I am grateful to Anouk for giving me this opportunity, and thankful I got to meet three amazing ladies!

In the age of #MeToo and #TimeIsUp, being a women in business comes with a powerful responsibility: to pave the way for future generations. It’s a daunting, yet exhilarating task. I hope one day we do not have to celebrate International Women’s Day, but until that day comes, I am proud to be one of many who continue to press for progress.