Feminism is a word that can sometimes be labeled as negative, but one campus organization is working to destigmatize and educate women through bonding and connection.
Empowered: Ohio University is an organization that creates a safe space for women to become better educated about themselves and other women, while creating lifelong friendships.
The organization creates a safe space where all women can come to connect, bond and learn to reach their full potential. Though they meet each week on Tuesdays in Baker University Center 231, they try to stay out of the room as much as possible. Every week is different, with group classes through Ping Recreation, craft days, educational workshops and even just going out to eat together.
Empowered’s president is Shea Shelton, a junior studying Spanish education. Shelton has been focusing her time on growing the organization and trying to personally empower each member.
“Our goal is to empower other women, teach them how to reach their full potential and to love themselves to be able to love others more,” Shelton said.
Empowered doesn’t charge any dues to its members, and most of its funding comes out of pocket. Typically the group’s activities don’t require any funding, but for the small amounts the members need, they occasionally host restaurant fundraisers, like their Chipotle fundraiser coming up on January 21.
It was Shelton’s avid advertising of the organization that attracted Lexi Fogle, a junior studying information and telecommunication systems. Fogle and Shelton are from the same hometown area, and after seeing Shelton’s posts on Facebook, Fogle knew she wanted to be connected with this group of women.
“You’re meeting with girls that are all independent, goal driven and want to meet once a week to connect and talk and bond,” Fogle said. “It’s a big stress reliever for me –– being able to go somewhere and connect with other girls who have the same goals as you is just so awesome.”
Shelton prides her organization on not having required attendance, but merely acting as a safe space and an outlet for women who need it, whenever they need it. However, since the organization’s inception last year, it’s grown from around five women to over 15. Though she is nowhere near her end goal of what she believes the group can be, she believes her efforts are a huge step in the right direction.
Similarly to how Shelton got involved, Empowered’s Vice President Mia White, a junior studying journalism, saw advertisements for the group and immediately fell in love with it. She has loved watching it grow and change every week.
“This organization means a lot because when I started last year, there were only a handful of us, and to watch it grow with me and Shea being vice president and president has been great,” White said.
With empowerment comes Shelton’s hope of destigmatizing feminism among her members. In her experience, a lot of people have believed feminism to be about crazy women who hate men, and growing up she was never taught otherwise. Over the years, Shelton found the definition of feminism to be about wanting equal rights for women, and she wants her members to walk away with this notion as well.
“A lot of people, especially freshmen, might not want to put the label of a feminist on themselves because that brings targets, so this is a way that you can dip your toes in and see what it’s about, and understand that this is something that’s bettering yourself and all of the women around you,” Shelton said.
The idea that the label of feminism brings a target is part of what inspires Shelton to focus in on Empowered. As an education major and a self-proclaimed empowered woman, Shelton feels it’s her duty to continue the conversation that women may not get from their families or the people they surround themselves with. She believes women should always stand up for themselves and know what they say is important.
That being said, Shelton and the rest of the organization’s leadership believes women’s expression needs to be shown in a way that doesn’t tear anyone else down, but rather builds other people up. Shelton hopes that with a proper education of feminism in Empowered, the members will be able to spread the wealth of knowledge with others.
“I think that women shouldn’t feel like they need to keep their voices inside, and women need to know what they think and what they say does matter,” Shelton said.
