Two people are determined to jump from a high cliff into the water. One has no problem with it, loves heights, the adrenaline and that empty feeling in the stomach. The other person is completely terrified to give the step, but decides to fight that and jumps anyways. Who is braver? Which person do you admire more? Which one can teach you a life lesson? The fearless one, or the brave one?
Most of us loved the statue of the Fearless Girl that was installed in the heart of Wall St. by State Street Global Advisors to celebrate Women’s Day on March 8th of this year. I tried to take a picture with her the other day and it was just impossible. Hundreds of people wanted to do the exact same thing at the exact same time, which made me smile real big.
There’s only one problem with this statue, and it’s its name. “Fearless” has become such a buzzword in the past couple of years, and people are not realizing the impact it will have on the future generations. As Christopher Paolini said “Without fear there cannot be courage.” Asking girls to be fearless is the same mistake our ancestors committed when they asked that same thing from boys, centuries ago. Is it wrong for a boy or a man to be fearful? It is certainly not what society expects. That’s why when someone has fear, you call them a pu$$y, and when someone does something courageous you let them know they have b@lls, no matter the gender.
The point is, we don’t want to raise our girls, or our boys, to be “fearless.” We should encourage them to experience the fear and be brave enough to face it. Fear, to me, is a sign of growth and progress, a reason to do things even more.
Today, I’d like to encourage State Street Global Advisors to change the name of the statue from “The Fearless Girl” to “The BRAVE Girl”. This will send the right message to the world and show the future generations the true meaning of courage.
If you agree, sign our petition here and help us by sharing this message with others who may care.
This article was first published on Huffington Post.
Michelle Poler is a creative and passionate social entrepreneur, keynote speaker, fear facer, and branding strategist. She is the Founder of Hello Fears, a social movement empowering millions to step outside of the comfort zone and tap into their full potential. Michelle is also the creator of the project 100 Days Without Fear. In 2017 she started speaking to the younger generation. Since then, she has empowered over 20,000 students at schools and universities around the world to live with courage, find their authenticity and embrace their growth paths.
