sights and sounds

as head of delegation, i was required to give a speech. there was even media coverage. this job is always a challenge. how do i stand equal to the mayor? i always feel small- as a woman on an international relations type job, and still relatively young- it's hard to stand tall, chin up expect to be taken seriously when a lot of the world is still very protocol concious, and if you're not a man, or older- you'd never be taken seriously.

this isn't the first time, i've been put in such a position. i try to rise to the occassion, but each time, its a brand new challenge. i've tried to deal with it psychologically, by trying to dress older. put on pearls wear extra heavy makeup, blow my hair. when i shared this with a senior official from another ASEAN country, who had kindly taken me under his wing during a conference, he told me that i was being silly, and that i should never ever have to try to look old to be taken seriously. he said, it was not necessary, and that others would respect me for who i am, not because i look older but because, i am a confident and intelligent young woman, who can hold herself well. i felt quite silly then.

but what did he know? he was an OLD MAN with many many years of experience under his belt. He'd never stood in my size ten, SCHOLL high heels!

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Pretty Eveel Adventures: sights and sounds

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

sights and sounds

as head of delegation, i was required to give a speech. there was even media coverage. this job is always a challenge. how do i stand equal to the mayor? i always feel small- as a woman on an international relations type job, and still relatively young- it's hard to stand tall, chin up expect to be taken seriously when a lot of the world is still very protocol concious, and if you're not a man, or older- you'd never be taken seriously.

this isn't the first time, i've been put in such a position. i try to rise to the occassion, but each time, its a brand new challenge. i've tried to deal with it psychologically, by trying to dress older. put on pearls wear extra heavy makeup, blow my hair. when i shared this with a senior official from another ASEAN country, who had kindly taken me under his wing during a conference, he told me that i was being silly, and that i should never ever have to try to look old to be taken seriously. he said, it was not necessary, and that others would respect me for who i am, not because i look older but because, i am a confident and intelligent young woman, who can hold herself well. i felt quite silly then.

but what did he know? he was an OLD MAN with many many years of experience under his belt. He'd never stood in my size ten, SCHOLL high heels!

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