OWN IT x Bossier

BOSSIER X OWN IT

letter from the editors | 3 OWN IT intro | 4 women’s march | 5 drowning in a sea of pink | 6, 7 becoming a femininst | 8, 9 the night before OWN IT | 10, 11 behind every great man | 12, 13 women in politics | 14, 15

Letter from the editors Hey there, It’s Michele and Tiffany, checking in on you before the release of Bossier’s second issue with a special edition ‘zine with OWN IT! OWN IT’s mission is to bridge the gap between female leaders and the millennials who admire them through creating accessible events like this one, which really resonates with us. We’ve always been fierce defenders of the fact that women are complex and multi-faceted, that we can like politics and fashion trends and have intellectual conversations about both of these things and beyond. We don’t have to be limited to one definition of success, to a single career path, to the general status quo. And our breakthroughs can take so many forms — we can be activists, executives, reporters, Congresswomen. In the same way that we at Bossier strive to fill our pages to reflect diversity and complexity among women, OWN IT brings such a notion to life through their summits.

Today you’ll hear from amazing women who are doing cool things and advancing feminism in a variety of unique ways. Afterwards, flip through this issue to hear from the OWN IT team, as well as other members of the Georgetown community who have something to say about being bossy and OWNing IT. Leaving inspired?

We always love to hear from you at bossiermag.com.

We’re so excited about what we’re going to create together.

Letter from the Executive Director of OWN IT Welcome to OWN IT 2017!! Thank you all for joining us for this day full of inspiration, empowerment, community, and female badassery! OWN IT’s success comes from the power of its speakers, attendees, and volunteers, so thank you for making this day what it is!

This year is OWN IT’s fourth annual Summit. We are still operating on the principals that this summit was founded on back in 2013: we are working to bridge the gap between the female leaders of the 21st century and the millennials who admire them through game-changing and accessible events. But this year, we are also here to proclaim that the future is STILL female. Our conversations aim to fight stigmas around what it means to be a woman in today’s world, promote and discuss intersectional feminist values, and and ultimately to bring together generations of women who are eager to change the world.

The speakers we have assembled here today are leaders in their respective industries and are advancing female leadership and feminism through their work. They are full of unparalleled advice and wisdom, so we hope you leave here today with a reenergized drive to pursue your passions.

We hope you enjoy today as much as we have enjoyed planning it for you! Make sure to jot down your favorite quotes, take tons of photos, Tweet, post Instagrams, etc to capture your favorite game-changing moments, so that you can take the magic of OWN IT with you as you progress through your lives and careers.

Thank you and keeping OWNING IT!!!

-- Soraya Eid, OWN IT Executive Director

Photos submitted by Grace Laria

DROWNING IN A

Last weekend, I marched because I didn’t know what else to do. Only the most vivid moments from the morning still stick out from the blurs of pink—not only the way the crowd around me rose up to chant “sí, se puede” along with Sophie Cruz, and the way the crowd parted like a Pink Sea to let through the doctor on her way to save a collapsed man—but also the way the silence rang in my ears as speakers from the march urged us to “say her name” and the marchers around me shuffled their feet in disconnected discomfort.

My heart ached as I came back to campus, equal parts physically and emotionally exhausted at the end of the day. My sign was showing significant wear from the day’s festivities, and I stared at the edges—torn and muddied—as I climbed into bed and began to scroll through social media. As I read the narratives of trans women, native women, and—essentially—any nonwhite women at the march, it was difficult not to be painfully self-aware and ashamed of the privilege I experienced during the Women’s March.

A SEA OF PINK

I can’t stop there.

I haven’t stopped thinking since the march about how to reconcile my experience as a white person with that of a woman. I won’t pretend to be perfectly capable of recognizing my constant privilege, because that’s precisely how privilege works. I’m lost, but I want to learn. I still don’t know much about anything, I suppose, but I know one thing for certain—marching sure as hell isn’t going to be enough.

-Ceci White-Baer

Becoming a feminist

By Sarina Jain

For a long time, I avoided using the word feminist to describe myself. Certainly not because I don’t fully believe in equality between the sexes, but because the word feminism seemed to me so heavy – so laden with connotations and stereotypes, such a tired and cumbersome word – that I thought it could be enough to embrace feminist ideals while avoiding the formality of the label and the negative associations that that it seems to conjure for many people.

The term feminism has received a lot of criticism – from both sexes – despite the fact that it really is as simple as wanting men and women to be treated equally. I know that, and yet I too find myself wrestling with whether or not I want to be called a feminist.

I was always fearful that if so, I would be held up against some ideal feminist archetype and that deviating from this image in any way would signify my failure as a feminist.

If I call myself a feminist, I worry about many things. Is it then wrong of me to want a boyfriend how tells me I am beautiful? Is it wrong of me to want him to fix my shower drain when it becomes clogged with too much hair because I am too disgusted to do it myself, even though I like to believe I am a strong and independent woman? It is wrong of me to personally prefer to wear bras and tampons than to free my nipples and bleed freely? If I want to dismantle the patriarchy and shatter the glass ceiling with quiet persistence rather than vocal protest, am I not authentically feminist? Can I not still reject sexism in this way?

On the other hand, when I do wear my feminism more openly, is it wrong that I feel myself constantly struggling to defend my opinions rather than remain unapologetic in my beliefs? When I don my The Future is Female sweatshirt and my brother asks me how it’s not equally sexist to imply that the future will be all about women, is it wrong that I stumble trying to articulate how this mantra is not about man-hating but rather about woman-loving? Why is it so hard to put into words what I want to say: that this phrase seeks not to relegate

men to a lesser position but rather to elevate women, who have spent more than a century fighting to be seen not as superior but simply equal?

I am far from a perfect feminist, but I try to be a sincere one. I want to use this word to define myself, but I want to do so on my own terms. I want to be able to shed certain associations of feminism – such as the perceived militancy or exclusivity of the movement – while still embracing its most essential principles.

Feminism is changing. Words like “inclusive” and “intersectional” have become commonplace as a way to make this movement seem more inviting and less constraining.

Men are becoming seen as part of the solution rather than the problem when it comes to gender inequality. Transgender rights advocates and disabled rights advocates alike are weaving feminist threads into their own forms of activism.

These moves toward greater inclusivity are important for the survival of feminism.

But we need more than just bodies to keep feminism alive. We need people to feel passionate and committed to this movement. We need the issue of sexism to feel like one that is not merely societal but also deeply personal. Although I understand the importance of having a commonly held set of ideals in order for the feminist movement to remain cohesive, I believe that feminism needs to do more to allow people to make this cause their own.

At least for me, this label has become much more than a formality. It is a symbol of joining something larger than myself. Something noble and real and so very important in this day and age. I am a feminist, and proudly so.

fire burns in different colors

By Mallory Murray

i am bright, i am burning why is this world not burning with me what are you without the people who love you they said everything she said i am everything all on my own i am bright, i am burning maybe i should set this world to burn too no she said why not they said because I said no you may not fit in you may stand out you may be burning so you think are broken but it is this world that is broken not you and it mocks you for daring to be different do not let it do not let it mock you do not let it that’s the power of people I suppose we are all so different and yet we are really also the same i am bright, i am burning we are bright, we are burning will we burn out or will we burn brighter?

‘Twas the night before OWN IT, when all through Gaston Hall, The #LadyMafia is hustling, preparing to welcome all; Between swag bags galore and a thorough sound check, You could agree this summit requires all hands on deck; As the dawn of March 18th draws closer and closer, The team works tirelessly to ensure everything is kosher; With speakers, panels, breakout sessions, and more, This summit is bound to move you to your core; The OWN IT Team awaits your impending arrival, For a fun, fresh and fierce feminist revival; The #LadyMafia assembles and comes forward to say— “Happy OWN IT to all, and to all a game-changing day!” #OWNIT2017

By Kristen Sullivan

BEH

Located in the Tidal statuesque Martin Luther Memorials, is the Franklin Honoring one of the U presidents, the memorial s labyrinth-like with its ten the memorial lacks in hei for in its expansive 7.5 ac attempts to remember an most important deeds by granite walls and erectin the challenging events he composed of four open ro visually guides visitors th presidential terms that Ro Before entering the fir with a bronze sculpture crouched over in his w contrast to the granite wa barrier behind him is a q Eleanor Roosevelt, which him strength and courag had to think out the fun the greatest of all lessons — ending persistence.� The in contrast to the small, h the President, which ma obstacles he would have fa The first room is modest and simple waterfall that space is scarce in deco statues and holds only a fe the granite walls. The qu Roosevelt’s inexperience in launching the New De Depression-- the simple b long and complicated tenu Unlike the room before bronze sculptures depict hope that the Great Depre States. On the right, ther the water cascading dow granite that jut out. Acros rusted line of starving, ski for bread. In another scen people trustingly listen i a Fireside Chat. Listeni encouraging message, th clinging onto the hope suffering would eventually Before even entering t President Roosevelt faced

NA

HIND EVERY GREAT MAN

Basin, hidden between the King Jr. and Thomas Jefferson n Delano Roosevelt Memorial.

United States’ most influential stretches along the basin and is n-foot granite blockades. What ight and grandeur it makes up cres. As a whole, the memorial nd honor President Roosevelt’s carving them into the ten-foot ng sculptures that symbolize e had to face. Chronologically ooms with waterfalls, the maze hrough the corresponding four oosevelt endured. rst room, visitors are greeted of President Roosevelt who, wheelchair, appears small in alls that surround him. On the quote from his wife, First Lady reads: “Franklin’s illness...gave ge he had not had before. He ndamentals of living and learn — infinite patience and neverquote is grand and powerful hunched over, bronze statue of kes the impending maze and aced in office seem impossible. t and barren. With only a single t cascades down, the outdoor or, lacks magnificent bronze ew simple quotes that decorate uotes listed outline President e yet hope and exuberance eal as a response to the Great beginning of what would be a ure in office. e it, the second room has many ting the despair and sliver of ession brought upon the United re is a tiered waterfall where wnward is broken by blocks of ss from the waterfall, a slightly inny bronze figures wait in line ne to the right of the breadline, in a dark and bare room to ing to President Roosevelt’s he civilians look eager, as if that somehow, their current y come to an end. the next room and into what d in his third term, you can

already hear chaotic-sounding water crashing into granite slabs. Turn the corner and there you see dozens of broken blocks lying on the ground as if they had been snapped in half or shattered. Water from the many different waterfalls crashes from every direction into the broken granite. Amidst the seeming mess of the boulders and water splashing everywhere, there are quotes. Barely visible due to the water, they are carved into the shattered granite slabs. Tangential, and facing all of the chaos and noise is a twenty-foot bronze cast of President Roosevelt sitting with his dog. The statue is at least three-times the size of the original statue at the beginning of the memorial. He has grown and is no longer overshadowed by the looming granite walls surrounding him. He sits down due to his illness and his hands are crossed. With a look of calmness and concentration, almost as if he was in control of the chaos happening right before his eyes, he directly faces the disaster and destruction in front of him. Behind him, a statement he once made condemns war and bigotry and calls for them to end.

The final room is different; you can hear the difference before even turning the corner. It’s quiet. It’s the type of quiet that is almost deafening after leaving the previously loud and chaotic outdoor room. Instead of seeing the rattling and turbulent waterfalls spurting out from every direction onto a mess of broken granite, there is a long motionless pool. It’s peaceful. The once broken granite slabs stand tall once again. Some walls have some of President Roosevelt’s final words that advocate for peace. A wall to the right displays his engraved bronze funeral cortege. For the first time, President Roosevelt is ingrained into the framework of the memorial, mending the once shattered granite walls.

And if it wasn’t for the large cluster of people surrounding it, you would walk right out of the memorial, and not look twice at a small, but significantlooking bronze statue. But indeed, within the final room, to the left, there is a hooded, yet important nook that is seemingly detached from the rest of the room. Inside the inverted granite nook, and accompanied with a quote about peace from President Roosevelt himself, is a bronze statue of a woman who stands in front of a modest United Nations seal. Once named “one of the most esteemed women in the world” and “the object of almost universal respect” by the New York Times, as well as being one of the top ten of “Gallup’s List of Most Widely Admired People of the 20th Century,” here she stands, honored and showered with fans, but tucked away: First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Almost as if it was an afterthought by the architect, the cove is disjointed. Instead of mourning her late husband like the rest of the room seems to be, the First Lady Eleanor

Roosevelt is calm with a dauntless gleam in her eye. Her face, peppered with wrinkles, looks forward. Her hands are crossed and she confidently stands tall, prepared for anything. Unlike around the rest of the statues that are littered around the memorial, here people eagerly form a long line to take a picture with the bronze statue of the former First Lady. A mere afterthought by the architect, she steals the limelight from her late husband.

And it’s no wonder why. She stood by and supported her husband through everything: his challenging fourterm presidency of nearly sixteen years, his polio illness, and even his affair with another woman. She was his rock. When President Roosevelt became too ill in his last term to appear at conferences and give speeches, she spoke for him. Redefining the role of a First Lady, she held press conferences, wrote a newspaper column, held National Conventions, and even critiqued her husband’s’ policies. She advocated for women’s rights and expanded the role that women played in the workplace. She stood up for the rights of Asian and African-Americans, as well as the rights of World War II refugees. Heavily criticized for being too outspoken and unapologetic, she never took the back seat. She never was, nor could she ever, be silenced.

After her husband’s death, she carried on and expanded his legacy. It was because of her that many of President Roosevelt’s later policies were successful. While her husband was unsuccessful in pressuring the United States to join the United Nations, she was adamant and succeeded. She then served as one of the United Nation’s first delegates and even was named the first chair of the United Nation Commission on Human Rights.

She even oversaw and helped draft the United Nation’s famous Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Later on, she continued to stay in politics and even became the first chair of President John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Commission on the Status of Women. And to this day, she is known as one of the world’s most influential women.

And behold, here she is! One of the most important and outspoken women of all time is placed right here, inside this small 10’ by 7’ by 5’ granite cavity with only a simple United Nation’s logo to represent all she has accomplished in her lifetime. Beside her, her husband’s words of peace are engraved into the granite; they manage to silence Eleanor’s once influential and unstoppable voice. But it is, after all, a 7.5-acre memorial dedicated to her husband, the President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

She’s lucky to have the square footage in the first place.

TAERG YREVE DNIHEB

It’s HIs World, We’re Just LIvIng In It The idea of women “having a say” in our government is obviously preposterous.

Poor women – if we place the burden of voting on them, how will they possibly run the household in an appropriate fashion? As a young woman myself, I realized that voting should not be a priority. I definitely do not have enough life experience and should focus my time on more important things, like cultivating the minds of the future fruits of my womb and reminding my daughters that they are not intelligent enough to decide which male should lead our government. Even though the 19th Amendment extended the right to vote for females, it doesn’t mean that we should follow it. Laws are meant to avoided. First, we give women the opportunity to vote, and next thing you know, they will be owning businesses, buying property, and running for government positions themselves.

The males of this country truly have the right mindset for what is right for the United States. These men have more on their mind than what are the latest trends on the runway or whether or not they should make a Match.com account to find their perfect soul mate. These men, who are strong, sophisticated individuals, can protect the poor, meek women of this nation in times of turmoil. Women are clearly too weak to defend themselves. Women in the U.S. were the clear reason for the economic depression, the house market crash, and the Ebola outbreak – men were distracted by female beauties and couldn’t think straight to make the right resolutions.

I, personally, believe women should think twice before casting a ballot. Let’s focus on the real problems of the female mind: finding a partner through our Tinder accounts and wearing this season’s Gucci shoes – a company which is, thankfully, owned by a man. by: Sofia Lalinde

Women In PoLItIcs She says: There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t support other women,” And so you’re not just going to the White House, but you are going to heaven.

The media explodes and young girls turn up their nose.

I find myself prefacing every declaration of support with No it’s not because she’s a woman.”

But that’s bullshit.

Why can’t I want the glass ceilings broken?

What’s wrong with saying I’m tired of white men?

Why do I have to act as if I am gender-blind? Ignore the difference in the climb.

When has blindness ever solved oppression?

Why does this even have to be a confession?

And why is it terrible to think a woman can best fight for women?

Because I will scream If another old guy tries to argue about legislating my body, And she will scream with me.

He says: “She had to do everything I had to do, except backwards in high heels” Because let’s not forget that the inequality is real.

And the unbelievable effort needed – just to be taken seriously.

They talk about his policy; they talk about her hair, and they’ll scoff if you suggest that it’s all unfair.

They gasp when she raises her voice, they call her laugh creepy.

Everything is in excess.

If she is passionate, she is too emotional.

If she is methodical, she is too mechanical.

They call it playing the gender card.

Because God forbid we acknowledge the hurdles jumped over And to still be one step behind.

They ask: When will there be enough women on the court” And she says, without missing a beat, When there a nine.”

Because for centuries nine men was just fine.

But nine women? That’s outrageous.

Because men in power is the norm.

And they see it coming towards them like a storm.

Because they are the establishment, And just the idea of women putting a dent Is reason to panic.

It is all fine in theory, but forget application.

Application is not pretty. It is not graceful.

WAnd so I refuse to pretend to be gender blind.

I refuse to assume that it will be fine.

Because the progress made was a result of active choices, not inevitability.

And when they ask about my position, I will say that she has the experience and the qualifications and the vision.

But I will also say that she is a woman, and that matters. by:Ida Adibi