Girls Being Girls

Four clever, savvy women who are changing the world by being themselves.

Smart Girls at the Party is a website created by three inspiring women, Amy Poehler, Meredith Walker and Amy Miles, with the aim of cultivating the authentic selves of young women and the young at heart. They want to change the world by being encouraging and educating women to be themselves. They are offer advice, answers to questions and interview inspirational women and young girls. These are the stories of four women who are doing just that, trying to be themselves in a world where being yourself isn't all that easy.

Katelyn Ierssel, 12
Primary school student, Katelyn, is a fun loving and happy young girl. Her smile is infectious and her laugh sucks you in so that all of a sudden, before you know it, you are laughing too. Talking to me, she seems nervous but she has a shy confidence that begins to shine through once she starts to get more comfortable. Currently in Grade Seven, she loves to draw, sing and play with animals. "You know, normal kid stuff." she tells me. When asked to describe herself, Katelyn says she is a happy person who is not rude but who is just an energetic kid.

She tells me which women she finds inspiring and in her list she includes P!nk and Taylor Swift. "I like their songs, their voices and their looks. I think they are pretty amazing women," she says. "There is also my Aunty Tanya. She is an artist and when I grow up I really want to be an artist as well." A smile spreads across her faces before disappearing.

"Sometimes I am doubtful that I will get that though because sometimes I don't believe in myself. There is a voice in my head, a bad voice that says I am bad at drawing. It's just 'cause I think bad thoughts.  Like reading. I don't think I'm good at it so I don't like it. I think that is the only thing holding me back but I know I have to think good thoughts about stuff I like to do, then I might get to it. Friends can tease each other but that doesn't me hold me back. I am the main thing holding myself back but you just have to push that aside and do it anyway even though it can be hard." Katelyn says.

 "I am comfortable how I am even when I say embarrassing things." And here again her laugh slips out.

Nicole Gillard, 24
Artist Nicole is one who doesn't take life lying down unless she is doing yoga but yoga is so much more than just lying down. Her glorious blonde hair captivates a room before her brilliant, vintage, Diane Freis dresses even get the chance. "I am happy with who I am, happy to be as happy as I am. Life was hard for a while when my mum died and with my dad remarrying but I am still a happy person despite this." she says. "You can't make excuses for yourself. The past is just the past and there is nothing you can do about it so you have to let it go."

"I am a creative person but I am resentful of the art world that I have tried to belong to because it kills creativity. Everything has been built to be sold and that is awful." she says. "I want to change that. Change is what inspires me." 

Nicole pauses for a bit, looking around the room. "I change a lot too, constantly. Sometimes I am extremely carefree, incredibly lazy and then really active. I think I can be pretty intense." she tells me.  "I sometimes feel burdened by the circumstances of my life, just the silly problems and grand things like the universe and mortality, why things are the way they are. It stresses me out but I want to move away from that." She looks at her hands and then plays with her hair, smile spreading across her face. 

"I really don't know at all where and what I will be doing in ten years time. I am completely open to whatever happens though. I want to do further study and have learnt as much as I can. I was the first woman on my mother's side of the family to go to university and I want to continue learning as much as possible. I would like to have written something that's been published too. Really I just want to be healthy and be helping other people in some way. Really that's the ultimate goal."

Terri Daines, 30
Very much a family person, Terri is trying to create her own family and IVF is helping to make this dream a possibility. It's been a long process with a lot of failure to work through and deal with but despite this, Terri has become a more positive and self believing person. She adjusts her position in the chair she is sitting in, and I do the same, so as to better access the cake we have just ordered. "I think I am pretty outgoing, helpful and happy. I like to help other people, I don't like to see anyone sad," she tells me. "Especially friends and family." 

"Failing and failure has always scared me. I think that there something wrong with me, that I can't do it but that's not right. I have learned to not let it affect me 'cause it doesn't matter. I don't let people hold me back now but I did when I was younger when I didn't believe in myself but I think I was still learning how to fail." Terri sips her tea thoughtfully before continuing. "I can now focus on being more positive about what's going to happen instead of focusing on the past and how I could have done things differently."

"I want to get my teaching degree so I could run a Prep program of four to five year olds. I always say that it is too hard to study and work, that there just isn't enough time but really it's just committing myself to doing it," Terri says. "There are many things I want to do but more than anything I just need to work. Work so I can save money and then travel, go on family holidays because that is what is most important, spending time with your family." 

"In ten years I want to have my little family of two to three kids and maybe have a partner. I still like to think that there is someone out there for everyone." A smile lights up her face and it is truly contagious.

Jennifer Hooi, 57
She hails from New South Wales and she is not afraid to be her true self no matter what the circumstances. When Jennifer Hooi graduated from university, she did not step into the equal work places that greet the majority of us these days but into one that was male run, male dominated and male centred. "I was the token woman employed. Nobody listened to anything I had to say, they just had me there to say they had a woman," Jennifer tells me. "And this was at a bank. They had no superannuation for women, only men. They had to rewrite it when I started."

"When I was younger I wanted to be a lawyer but I didn't think I was smart enough to do it. Now I think I could do it easily," she says. "My school was one that didn't generally fill you with confidence. It was a football school and it didn't really think girls could do anything. Boys either actually." She smiles. "If I could have my time over again, that's what I would do, I'd be a lawyer."

A recent grandmother, Jennifer is inspired by people who overcome adversity and take a strong stance on things even if she doesn't necessarily agree with them.  "I don't think I let people's opinions affect me. I just trust myself more than anyone else," Jennifer tells me. "I see myself as strong, competent and probably a little judgemental, I don't suffer fools gladly." 

"In ten years time, I see myself sort of like I am just now. I love my life, I have the best little life. I will hopefully more grandkids though," she says and laughs.