After following Miss Represntation’s (www.missrepresentation.org) campaign on Twitter (#notbuyingit) to identify sexist ads during the Super Bowl and simultaneously watching my niece and sister-in-law fall asleep during the game, I wondered, “What if there was a SUPER bowl for women? What would it look like?”

I asked some of my closest friends and drafted Super Bowl XL VIII.

The Event.  Would be collaborative not competitive. Free form where we meet to discuss and share ideas.

Storytelling about ordinary women doing extraordinary things. Non-contact. Focused on how to make the world a better place: ending world hunger, sex trafficking, and violence against women.

The Players. Would be multi-aged. Strong, talented, hard-working, passionate, focused, fair, cooperative, sharing the ball. Every player would matter and contribute. It’s the group hug, not the ego show-boating. It’s fair play, respect for opponents as worthy adversaries.

The Half-Time Show. Would be inspiring. A mix of living and dead icons of women who rocked the world of music (think the closing games of the Olympics, except not with the English theme but a history of women in music.) And please make me want to get up and dance!

The Ads.  Would celebrate amazing women in history. Short bios of successful women. A mix of serious and funny, athletes and innovators, social and environmental responsibility. They would feature service and non-profits too! Ads for teachers and nurses and CEOs and artists and adventurers. Let’s have fabulous women of all ages and cultures around the world, all kinds of beauty and fashion.

After reading the responses and sentiments from women/girls across the country, I understood that women were “not buying it,”  the Super Bowl itself.  Women wanted to know, “How many lives could be saved with each $3.7-3.8 million dollar 30-second commercial?” What problem could we be solving instead of “What caused the Blackout?” And instead of exploiting women in the ads and entertainment, what messages could we be delivering?

The Girl Effect.  As illustrated in bestseller Half the Sky, when women are in charge not only a family but a community rises. “Women invest 80 cents of every dollar into nutrition, medicine, and housing while men invest around 30 cents and are more likely to squander it on alcohol and other vices.”

The Girl Effect not only improves the lives of girls and women, but of boys and men.  When women’s SUPER powers are unleashed, nothing is impossible.

After learning about the Girl Effect last year, I was inspired to invent SUPERgirls Academy as a virtual and real space to unleash our SUPERgirl powers, change lives, and be our own hero.  If you’d like to learn more and be part of this movement, join me and other SUPERgirls of all ages on February 13^th for the workshop “What will you do with your SUPERgirl powers?”  http://supergirlpowers.eventbrite.com/#

It is a place to unite, empower, engage, inspire, change, and experience the Girl Effect within you and beyond.  And a space to wonder, “What if there was a SUPERgirls bowl next year?  What would that look like?”

Share your ideas and spread the Girl Effect right now!

Sources.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1509802-super-bowl-2013-commercials-how-much-does-an-average-ad-cost 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/brycecovert/2013/02/04/super-bowl-ads-serve-up-sexism/
http://www.halftheskymovement.org/issues/economic-empowerment  

Coach Kristi has always known and felt the Girl Effect in her life.   However, as a teacher, school counselor, and principal the past 20 years, she experienced first-hand how girls and women shrink in a classroom, a community, and the world.  Something needed to be done.  So, Kristi Hemmer quit her SAFE job and started her own business coaching girls of all ages to bridge the gap between what girls believe and achieve.  In addition to coaching, she designs workshops for girls, creates eCourses, and is developing SUPERgirlsAcademy (coming Summer 2013).  Kristi is also writing a book on social entrepreneurship for young changemakers.  She lives a virtual life:  nine months around the world and returns to The States to attend her niece’s birthday party, watch her nephew wrestle, and catch up with all the people she loves.  You can learn more about her at www.kristihemmer.com and www.168coaching.com.

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