Why I support Girl Scouts

I sometimes joke about my job and trivialize the work to get a laugh. But in all seriousness, I truly believe in Girl Scouting.

I'm putting aside my marketing writer hat for a moment. This is Meghan talking, not the organization. These opinions are my own.

Girls have it hard. We hold girls to impossible standards, through media, through upbringing, through social norms. We send girls bizarre, mixed messages about what they should aspire to, what women should be.

Women should be sexy.

Women should be cute.

Women should be innocent, naive.

Women should be smart, cunning.

Women should be indirect, diplomatic.

Women should have curves.

Women should be thin.

Women should aspire to the same career success as men - executive, entrepreneur, thought leader.

Women should be mothers.

Women should devote themselves to their families.

Women should be stylish.

Women should know how to accessorize.

Women should wear high heels.

Women should wear make up.

Women should take themselves seriously.

Women should take each other seriously.

Women should lift each other up.

Women should look out for themselves.

Women should be in science and technology.

Women should be fit.

Women should be in charge of their own health and sanity.

Women should be slutty.

Women should be selective of their partners.

Women should please men.

Women should please themselves.

Women should be in porn.

Women should accept porn.

Women should be one of the guys.

Women should be mysterious.

Women should be blond.

Women should have long hair.

Women should take care of their parents.

Women should wear dresses.

Women should be honest.

Women should protect others' feelings.

Women should know how to change tires and oil.

Women should be assertive.

Women should be patient.

Women should be kind.

Women should be everything to everyone.

And if you fail?

You're outcast. You're weird. You're second-class. You're insecure. You're left out.

We tell our girls so many things, but who's telling them the important things?

It's OK to be flawed.

You can't live up to every expectation.

All you really need to succeed are a few good relationships and some practical life skills.

Whatever route you pick, just make sure it's the right route for you.

Models in magazines are air-brushed.

It's OK not to have a boyfriend in high school.

It's OK if you do.

Your opinions matter.

You have the space to be who you really are, whether that's an astronaut or a mother - and chances are, you'll have to choose.

You deserve to be treated with respect.


Girls need special attention. Girls need sacred spaces with other girls and adults they trust, spaces in which they can be themselves, take up space, and have a voice.

We hear story after story of girls who attribute all of their confidence to Girl Scouts. If it weren't for the friendships they formed, they wouldn't be who they are today. Because they had a safe environment, they found the courage to be themselves.

Yes, there's a stereotype about Girl Scouting. Yes, girls sell cookies. Yes, they sometimes do crafts.

But I encourage you to look beyond the stereotype, look beyond the cookie sale (which really is a great financial literacy program, by the way), and see the remarkable potential this program has to touch the lives of girls.

I truly believe that Girl Scouting has the power to change girls' lives. That's why I work here. That's why I donate. That's why I'm writing this post.

I joke, but it's not about my salary. It's not about Thin Mints. It's about young girls hearing the right message at the right time so they can grow into strong, confident women who have the ability to choose their own path.

It's Give to the Max Day. No one asked me to write this post. I'm just putting it out there. Think about supporting Girl Scouts today.