November 2012
63 posts
Is this the image of progress? Afshan Jafar
In the spirit of TEDxWomen 2012, this week’s TEDxTalks showcase ideas from inspirational women across a range of topics.
“Ideas of what bodies should look like are more oppressive than any item of clothing.”
As western cultures look to social progress and change in developing nations, they celebrate the freedom of women from forced coverings such as the burka. But, as Afshan Jafar warns, freedom of fashion comes with it destructive notions about body image. (Filmed at TEDxConnecticutCollege)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx community, and its diverse constellation of ideas worth spreading. Browse all TEDxTalks here »
7 women in science expand our knowledge of the world
This Friday and Saturday, November 30 and December 1, over 150 TEDx events will join the anchor TEDxWomen event in Washington D.C. in a global conversation about the state of women in the world today. Right now, influential and inspiring women are making great strides in the field of science, from the study of tiny microbes to the development of quantum computing. In the spirit of TEDxWomen, we present seven talks from women who are helping to expand our scientific horizons.
Click here for the TEDxWomen livestream, which will be broadcasting from Friday, November 30 at 6:00 pm to Saturday, December 1 at 7:45 pm EST.
Exploit to preserve: Larissa Oliveira at TEDxAmazonia
When Larissa Oliveira arrived in Peru to study a new species of fur seal, she discovered that it was already threatened by the loss of its primary food source due to overfishing and the effects of climate change. She shares her story of taking action to convince governments and communities that the the little-known anchovita fish — and the creatures who depend on it — are worth saving. (Spanish, with English subtitles).
The secret language of flowers: Heather Whitney at TEDxSalford
Flowers are astoundingly manipulative, and need to be if they are to defend themselves against predators, find food and reproduce. Heather Whitney sheds light on the invisible tactics flowers use to exploit their pollinators.
7 TEDx Talks from women making change
This Friday and Saturday, November 30 and December 1, over 150 TEDx events will join the anchor TEDxWomen event in Washington D.C. in a global conversation about the state of women in the world today. To celebrate this momentous occasion, here are seven talks from women innovating the way we live — the way we eat, educate, heal and care.
The aftermath of Occupy: Naomi Colvin at TEDxHousesofParliament
Last year, the Occupy Wall Street movement spread like wildfire across the globe. It sparked countless protests and its “We are the 99%” slogan has been canonized into the progressive lexicon. Just as quickly as it gained champions, however, it found critics from the left and right who dismiss the campaign for its inability to articulate specific demands. Naomi Colvin thinks they miss the point entirely; that the protests were not about rushing into specific negotiations based on conventional principles, but about disrupting the way we reform altogether. In this reflective talk, she lays out a new vision of political identity.
Young people can make an extraordinary impact on the global health crisis. Through the story of an anti-HIV campaign in Malawi, Barbara Bush demonstrates the power of motivated volunteers to solve problems of health equity.
Innovate justice: Layli Miller-Muro
In the spirit of TEDxWomen 2012, this week’s TEDxTalks showcase ideas from inspirational women across a range of topics.
“We’re all handicapped by the lack of equality.”
Women’s rights is still a life-or-death issue. Using powerful examples, Layli Miller-Muro shares her work fighting for gender equality — a battle that requires legal action and cultural understanding. (Filmed at TEDxGrandRapids)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx community, and its diverse constellation of ideas worth spreading. Browse all TEDxTalks here »
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Brittany’s talk is just one of this week’s TEDxTalks Editor’s Picks celebrating TEDxWomen, taking place November 30 and December 1 worldwide.
When you are curvy and overweight, everyone really likes to remind you of that — like kids at school, your parents, the fitting room girl at the Gap — just in case you’d forgotten all the reasons you’re supposed to be hating yourself.
Now I spent elementary school and high school being bullied. My first few years at college, I spent bulimic. And the last 10 or so years, I’ve really been trying to come to terms with how I really look. And I’ve done that — give or take — I’ve learned to like my body overall; it just kind of seems like other people still have a problem with it.
For example, I get comments like this…”I have no idea how someone as obese as you managed to land a husband,” or, “Maybe instead of writing about food, you should go on a diet,” or, “I’m not sure why anyone’s telling you you are pretty, I just see another fat girl on the Internet.” The shocking part? All from women — every single one of those comments. And they stung, but I’m used to hearing them and they don’t disable me anymore.
…But then, I had a daughter. And everything kind of changed. The thought, for one moment, that anybody would tell her that she was worthless based on how she looked — my stomach dropped, my heart stopped. Every single emotion I felt when I was 8 and had been mooed at in elementary school came back to me.
…so I decided…that talking about change is really great, but what’s more important is being the change that you want to see. So that’s what I had to do — I had to be the change. I had to redefine what normal in beauty looked like in this country…
So on May 26th, at 7 AM, with 5 of my friends in the middle of Times Square on Good Morning America, between Emeril Lagasse and a cart selling hot nuts, I stood in my bathing suit — on national television…Every single part of my body wanted me to find my pants, get the hell out of there, but I didn’t. And I didn’t, because I wanted to show people what women in this country look like…
I did this for you. And I did this for my daughter, and your daughter, and your mom, and your friends, and your sister, and all of those people. So if I can inspire you enough that you can get up in the morning and hate your body less than you did the day before, it was worth every second next to that hot nut cart.
” —Writer and editor of Curvy Girl Guide, Brittany Gibbons, in her talk “Courageous Beauty,” at TEDxBGSU.Brittany’s talk is just one of this week’s TEDxTalks Editor’s Picks celebrating TEDxWomen, taking place November 30 and December 1 worldwide.
Fight the stigma of abortion: Leslie Cannold
In the spirit of TEDxWomen 2012, this week’s TEDxTalks showcase ideas from inspirational women across a range of topics.
“Silent women can’t ask for support.”
One in three Australian, British, and American women will have an abortion in their lifetime, but public discourse remains largely deprived of their stories. Leslie Cannold blames a culture that shames abortion, and calls for an end to the silence. (Filmed at TEDxCanberra)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx community, and its diverse constellation of ideas worth spreading. Browse all TEDxTalks here »
Dispatches from a TEDxYouthDay reporter: Celeste Pereyra Torres on TEDxYouthDay 2012
This post comes from TEDxYouthDay reporter Celeste Pereyra Torres, who diligently watched several events during TEDxYouthDay 2012. You can find a version of this post written in Spanish on her blog.
TEDxYouth@UFM
Everybody says that young people don’t care about anything, that they don’t know what they want, that they spend the whole day on Facebook because they only live in the present, that they have no idea about the future. Yet that complaint has lost its footing, because despite assumptions, the youth are doing big thing — even organizing TEDx events.
During November 17th and 18th, TEDxYouthDay took place in more than 40 countries all over the world. TEDxYouthDay is a series of events specially-designed to inspire curiosity, spread youth initiatives, and — particularly — to promote young leaders to embrace the creation of new projects. That’s why it’s not surprising that a lot of the organizing teams were composed by young people and that many events were held in schools.
TEDxYouth@Singapore
“Dream Big… Then Do It!” was the battle cry for every TEDxYouthDay event this year. The slogan is not difficult to understand, who doesn’t like to dream and make those dreams come true? But the truth is that you can’t dream alone or be indifferent to how reality impacts the realization of our dreams. TEDxYouthDay helped show me this.
Courageous Beauty: Brittany Gibbons
In the spirit of TEDxWomen 2012, this week’s TEDxTalks showcase ideas from inspirational women across a range of topics.
“I wanted to show people what women in this country look like.”
Brittany Gibbons wants us to drastically change the way we think about women’s bodies. Stripping down to her bathing suit onstage, she makes a passionate call for women of all body types to find confidence in each other. (Filmed at TEDxBGSU)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx community, and its diverse constellation of ideas worth spreading. Browse all TEDxTalks here »
Dispatches from a TEDxYouthDay reporter: Yasmine Tashk on TEDxYouth@Tallinn
This post comes from TEDxYouthDay reporter Yasmine Tashk, who watched TEDxYouth@Tallinn during TEDxYouthDay 2012.
Photo: Yasmine’s big dream for the world
Saturday, I sat in my apartment in Paris, all prepared to watch the TEDxYouthDay event in Tallinn, Estonia. I sat by my desk with my paper and pen on my left, my notes on my right, and my computer and scanner in front of me.
I decided to draw what I heard during the event — live. This was quite a challenge because I had to draw, focus on the talks, scan the drawings, and edit them on my computer — all while watching the speakers talk.
What I expected from the event besides the talks themselves was to gain inspiration: to see other people doing things they believe will change the world, to learn things that will lead me to change the world myself.
Photo: Yasmine’s live drawing of Rene Kukk at TEDxYouth@Tallinn.
The power of common myths: Amy Zalman
“We need a new story, but how do we get to that new story?”
A Jewish refugee from Mussolini’s Italy, Amy Zalman’s grandmother convinced the American consolate that she deserved to immigrate by citing a commonly understood story: the American dream. Zalman discusses the value of deeply felt common myths, or “power narratives” — like the American dream — to build instant connections and calls on us to begin shaping new society-wide stories. (Filmed at TEDxGeorgetown.)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the TEDx community, and its diverse constellation of ideas worth spreading. Browse all TEDxTalks here »
