It’s been proven time and time again: Women have more of a problem talking themselves up than the opposite sex. Even today, amid the ongoing #MeToo movement and with women rallying to support and empower one another, many women still hesitate to talk about the successes and achievements in their careers.
This Girl Can Run The World, a new digital community and editorial platform, hopes to change that. After graduating from Greenwich High School in 2013, Kitty Schur moved to Los Angeles and earned a degree in film and communication for entertainment from the University of Southern California. She began her career working for numerous female empowerment initiatives, which sparked her passion for promoting and supporting career-oriented women.
In today’s landscape, digital media have proven powerful tools. Nonetheless, it’s increasingly
difficult for the average person to break through the noise and gain recognition online and on social media. Most digital platforms catering to millennial women tend to focus on celebrities and influencers rather than giving “regular” women a voice. Schur notes that much of the digital content covering female empowerment was split between celebrating these influencer/entrepreneur types, or alternatively, focusing on survivors of sexual harassment.
“So here I was seeing women bonding in the face of adversity through movements such as Time’s Up and #MeToo and then, on the other side of the spectrum, I saw this rise of what I call the ‘hashtag bossbabe’ group, which was this novelization of this idea of being an influencer/woman in business,” Schur said.
While women who have developed large followings through being influencers do deserve a place to speak about their experiences, an accessible place for everyday girls to tell their own stories was lacking.
“After a couple months of going to every female empowerment conference, panel and networking group, what became crystal clear to me was there was no company that was supporting women who were on their way,” Schur said.
“I realized that everyone who had attended the conferences and events I had gone to was sitting in the crowd for one reason,” which was that they wanted to join in on the conversation, but without being a part of that inner circle of influencers and celebrities. They didn’t know how to have a voice, she says.
“They had thoughts and ideas and opinions and they were sitting there because they wanted to become part of this community and become part of the ‘women who work’ narrative.”
Designed to celebrate, educate and empower women of all ages who are on their way up in their respective careers, This Girl Can Run The World gives a voice to women who are not yet influencers, CEOs or executives, but rather everyday women who deserve recognition for the strides they’ve made in their lives, both personal and professional. They are the “girls” who can run the world, but aren’t quite there yet. The platform encourages women to speak up, tell their stories, legitimize their voices and use those voices to help other women.
“Social media is a game you have to play” in today’s world, Schur notes, adding,“I didn’t like the rules (of social media), so I decided to create This Girl Can Run The World as a community that would challenge them.”
“You can’t complain about the rules and players who are getting ahead in their careers if you just sit there with your head stuck in the sand. You have to take action. You have to be proactive.
“Having a meaningful digital footprint is essential in order to succeed in your career in 2018,” she says, regardless of what industry you’re in. “You have to be finding a way to translate some of your experience and expertise onto social to get ahead.”
This Girl Can Run The World helps women do so by featuring people on the site. Since its late-September launch, a dozen women have already been profiled. The interviews feature a first-person story from each woman in which she explains her education, background and how she came to be in her current role. The women talk candidly about their role models, successes and struggles and advice for other women. Rather than coming from a person with seemingly unattainable success like an influencer, these people are real. They’re normal, professional women who, in many ways, remind us of ourselves.
Each woman receives additional publicity on This Girl Can Run The World’s social channels, which include an Instagram page curated with a combination of artfully edited and aesthetically pleasing images, quotes and photos of the newest “This Girl.” (The women are photographed in basic — yet effortlessly trendy — clothing in front of simple backgrounds for a cohesive theme.) Having already garnered thousands of followers, This Girl Can Run The World is on target to see tremendous growth in the following months and, in turn, help its girls continue building their own digital footprints.
Since launching, Schur has already seen tremendous interest in the company — so much so that the site will become membership based in 2019.
“The membership portal’s launch will enable so many more women to get involved with This Girl Can Run The World on a more accessible scale and will allow more women to reap the rewards of being part of this inspiring and well-connected community,” she said. “I’m excited to start traveling and meeting more women by bringing This Girl events all throughout the country in 2019.”
Schur’s plans remind us that while we millennial women are the first generation to be mindful of our social media presence (and Google search results), we’re also the first generation that has the opportunity to write our own stories into history using digital media. She hopes that This Girl Can Run The World will help facilitate this for women nationwide.
“More than anything, I hope This Girl Can Run The World will remind women everywhere that no matter what point they are at in life or in their career, they deserve to be heard and they should be celebrated.”
For more, visit thisgirlcanruntheworld.com.
