Whitney+E’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2016




 * Title of Speech **#Goals


 * Text of Speech **

Now I know what you’re thinking-what’s wrong with setting goals for yourself? Well, there is a difference between setting a real goal and a #goal. A common hashtag is #relationshipgoals, for example, on a picture of a couple eating pizza and watching Netflix. This “goal” really boils down to wanting to be with someone who is affectionate and loving. This ambition is not a true “goal”, it is human nature to want to have a loving partner in life. A REAL goal is something you plan on pursuing which will take hard work, and watching netflix and eating junk food really does not take much effort, I can tell you this from experience. Like I said, most pictures of celebrities and models are edited to make them look unreal. What we tend to forget is that social media provides a platform for people to showcase their highlight reels. The edited and perfected versions of one’s life. Most #goals are unattainable or downright superficial. Take Taylor Swift’s “squad” full of models and actresses for example. The pictures of these girls have racked up an insane amount of #squadgoals under each picture. But when I think about it, I wonder if these girls really support each other or just all got together because they were attractive and on the A-list. And in the end it’s up to what you want- and attractive group of friends or a group who’s always got your back. I choose my friends, although they are all beautiful, because of what’s on the inside of them and they have become some of the most supportive and trustworthy people in my life. Girls don’t only compare themselves to others online, though. This happens everyday in real life. Girls will see another girl in public and will immediately size her up or compare themselves to her and decide in their minds who looks better. I know I’m guilty of this, and I don’t think I’m alone. It’s so rare that girls recognize each other strengths withy being catty about it. It’s all about “who’s better” or “why can’t I look or be like her”. But in reality, we aren’t competing with other women at all, but with ourselves — with how we think of ourselves. For many of us, we look at other women and see, instead, a version of ourselves that is better, prettier, smarter, something more. We don’t see the other woman at all. This is due to natural selection and the patriarchy. Think about it. Women are always criticizing and comparing themselves because other women are their competition in the race to win over a man, or woman for that matter. They’re always trying to assure themselves that they’re the best candidate and if that means being catty to another girl, so be it. We need to stop this. Girls should have the confidence to realize that they look good and that other girl looks good, too. It should not be a competition or comparison. What I’m trying to say is that other people’s success is not your failure. I want to grow old in an America where girls love themselves and don’t compare themselves to others. Where girl’s value is determined by their own standards instead of what society portrays to be perfect. If you think that you cannot be perfect if you don’t have the tiniest waist or a flawless relationship, you are mistaken. Just because you don’t have Kim Kardashian or Gigi Hadid’s body does not mean your body is unacceptable. Everyone is different and the only #goal we, as Americans, need to work on is being better people on the inside. That’s what I’m always striving for. I hope you stand with me and can see how #goals aren’t always what they seem to be.
 * 1) Goals. What even is that? You may see it under a picture of a perfectly positioned plate of food or under a picture of a happy couple in the tropics. But 90% of the time these pictures are edited or the happy couple is staged to look in love but after the picture is taken they continue arguing. In a world where people are so frequently creating experiences on a superficial level in order to make themselves seem more fulfilled in a snapshot they upload onto Instagram or a condensed idea they fit into a tweet, it is almost impossible to not compare your life to others, and girls tend to do this more often than boys. This is what I want to see change in America. I want girls to stop comparing themselves to the Victoria’s Secret model or the amazing lives of Jay Alvarrez and Alexis Ren, and start accepting and loving themselves for who they truly are and what they value without considering the standards and perception of others. The whole routine is a recipe for disaster-by glorifying unattainable goals, we're permitting ourselves to wave a white flag of inferiority. By obsessing over the lifestyles we see glorified through social media, we’re hurting our own self-worth a bit more little by little. All of these “goals” create an unhealthy breeding ground for jealousy and hero worship to thrive in.

http://simonedigital.com/why-women-compete-with-each-other/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mia-redrick/why-women-compete-with-other-women_b_7035278.html
 * Sources **