THE CROWD

B.W. Cook

It was all about girls. The sixth annual Girls Inc. fund-raiser

luncheon raised $120,000 to support the programs of the Costa Mesa

chapter of the national youth organization. More than 400 guests attended

the event held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Irvine.

Kathleen Brown, managing director of Goldman Sachs Los Angeles and

former treasurer of California, delivered the keynote address, sharing

her personal career path with the audience.

“There are difficult choices to make in life,” Brown said. “And I have

faced my own share of decision-making crossroads.”

Brown, the daughter of former California Gov. Edmond Pat Brown and the

sister of former California Gov. Jerry Brown, was upbeat and offered

encouragement to her audience regarding the vital role of women in the

workplace.

She was joined by a graduate of the Girls Inc. program, Amber Soto,

who now attends Chapman University. Soto emphasized the importance of

lessons learned through her youthful experience with Girls Inc.

“I believe that the program helped me to find a successful path in

life,” she said.

Brown added, “Take risks, strive freely, and take pride in success.”

Her sentiments were in line with the “Girls Bill of Rights,” part of

the credo of this national nonprofit organization aimed at girls and

young women ages 5 to 18.

Natasha Shaw, a dedicated Girls Inc. coordinator, shared the “Girls

Bill of Rights.” It states: “Be yourself and resist gender stereotypes.

Express yourself with originality and enthusiasm. Take risks, strive

freely and take pride in success. Accept and appreciate your body. Have

confidence in yourself and be in a safe world. Prepare for interesting

work and economic independence.”

Girls Inc. has served young women of the Newport-Mesa community since

1954. The organization prides itself on helping girls develop both skills

and values that may prepare youth for responsible and productive

adulthood. Programs address such areas as decision making, assertiveness

training, educational advancement and career preparation, Natasha Shaw

said.

“There is also an intensive four-week summer program that focuses on

math, technology and sports instruction,” she said.

Of the many important issues tackled by Girls Inc., perhaps the most

significant are programs focused on avoiding gender stereotypes. Young

women today are often confused by an alarming double standard vis a vis

their role in society.

It is expected that women face the workplace with equal vigor as men,

that they establish financial independence and lead productive lives. At

the same time, young women are expected to be beautiful and cultivate an

attractive image for a man as a potential spouse, mate and mother.

Media, particularly advertising, is responsible for creating

stereotypical images of women that pander to the psychosexual human

models of femininity. Does every young girl need to fit the image of a

skinny model in a black cocktail dress, who also happens to hold a

doctorate in biochemistry, run a Fortune 500 company and always show up

on the soccer field when the children are playing their games, as well as

pleasing her husband’s every whim?

Therefore, the question raised is: How does a young woman face her

future with the expectation of “super womanhood” at her threshold?

Girls Inc. strives to teach young women a healthy course that is

realistic, as well as appropriate, for the times.

It is a challenge that Girls Inc. faces daily.

For more information, call the Costa Mesa chapter at (714) 338-7301.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.