When we think of the word bravery or the word
courage, we think of heroic acts such as preventing a crime, protecting someone
from getting hurt or saving someone from a sudden threat or danger. While those
are definitely courageous and brave acts, that’s not the only form of courage
or bravery. All of us have the ability to make choices that are brave and
courageous every day of our lives. It is through actions that are brave or
courageous that we even can find our own successes in lives and make our dreams
come true.
A few years ago, I made a brave decision. That brave
decision led me to achieve a dream I had hoped for but didn’t think was
possible due to particular circumstances at the time. All it took was one
little moment of courage which led me to take action and ultimately, opened up
a whole new path in my life, one I can honestly say has been one of the best
experiences of my life, through the good and the bad and one that I still look
back on and remember with happiness. In that brief moment of courage, it has led
me to grow and learn so much as a person. I have come to realize since then
that every little moment I chose to be brave has led to incredible changes and
amazing experiences I would have never expected, had you asked me a few years
ago if I’d ever think those dreams and goals would ever happen.
With this, I encourage you all to be brave, in the
small moments and the big. Take advantage of opportunities. They could open new
doors and take you on many exciting adventures. Try something new even if you
are scared. You may learn something great from it.
Talk to that person you want to talk to, even if you
are worried about approaching them. You may just make a new friend. Take that
chance on fulfilling your dream. It could come true and be even better than you
imagined.
There have been many visionaries in this great, big
world that we live in, from Coco Chanel, Walt Disney, Amelia Earhart, Nellie
Bly, Jane Austen, Beatrix Potter and many more. It is the visionaries who have
brought us moments, books, music, art and films that changed our ways of thinking
and made us philosophize. It is the visionaries that have brought us fashion
that was different from the norm but has withstood the test of time. The visionaries
are those who have pioneered the way for others in their chosen career fields, has
made history and done their best to change society and the world both for the
better and for the future.
To me, I think that anyone can and has the power to
be a visionary, no matter where you come from or where you are in the world.
Even making a difference in your own little corner of the world that helps
benefit your community shows the character of a visionary. If you have a dream
and want to see that dream materialize and you work hard towards that dream or
goal, investing in it and continuing to follow that dream despite setbacks, that
makes you a visionary. If you are breaking gender barriers, taking chances,
embracing opportunities or defying stereotypes to make a positive change in
something you are passionate about, that makes you a visionary. If you strive
to make the world better for others or strive to make a positive change in
someone’s life, that also makes you a visionary.
The key to allowing yourself to be a visionary is
simply taking that first step, to dream that dream or set that goal. Keep a positive
and open mind as you work towards that vision, learning and growing from each
experience that brings you closer to your dream or goal. Remember, visualizing
can lead to doing and doing leads to success. Dare to be the visionary, to
share your ideas to the world, to change both your life and the lives of others
and to unleash the greatness that is within you!
When
we think of the word strong, some people would think someone who is
physically strong, someone with an athletic build who can bench press
220 pounds. While this is an incredible feat, that’s not just what
strong is about. There are many definitions of what strong is and
anybody can be a strong person.
The
single mother or father working two jobs to provide for their children
is a strong person. The student working two jobs to pay for college
while they double-minor and pull all-nighters just to get an assignment
for a class done is strong. The child who instead of joining in on the
cruelty, chooses to be a friend to someone who gets bullied is strong.
The person who chooses to keep going after their dream or goal despite
setbacks or criticism is strong. The person who chooses to forgive
someone else after they've been hurt by them is strong.
To
me, strong is more than just physical. Strong can be emotional,
spiritual or mental also. Therefore, I encourage you to be your own
definition of strong and to use that personal strength that you possess
to help you be confident, successful, and brave. Embrace your personal
strength to help you reach your dreams and to live your life as you
deserve, which is to live it happy and blessed.
There
are times in life when people hurt us either by their words or their
actions. Sometimes the pain and suffering they cause is unintentional
but sometimes it’s not. During these times, we don’t understand why
someone would hurt us the way that they did. Sometimes we may get angry
or hold resentment towards them for it but does that really solve
anything? Of course not! All it does is make the situation keep
negatively affecting us. So how do we change the situation from negative
to positive?
First,
we forgive them for their wrongdoing, whether it was intentional or
unintentional. Choosing to forgive them frees us from the negative
experience. After that, we choose to see the good in them. Sometimes
that can be difficult especially if the person continues to be hurtful
towards you but choosing to find and focus solely on even one positive
quality about them can make a huge difference.
For
example, let’s say someone chooses to say something hurtful about you,
whether it’s intentional or not. Instead of focusing on their faults,
focus on their strengths. Meaning, instead of choosing to say something
hurtful back to them, which only worsens the situation, choose to say
something positive and nice to them such as giving them a compliment or
simply letting them know you are praying for them or that you are there
to encourage and support them if they need someone to talk to or someone
to help them. For all you know, they could only be acting out in the
negative way that they are because they are going through something
tough in their own lives, which may be causing them to lash out at
everyone.
Additionally,
the stresses of what they may be personally going through could have
been building up as they let it fester inside them and instead of
choosing to take it out in a positive and healthy way, they may have
simply just ended up venting their frustrations out on you. Do not
resent them for that. Simply practice respect, compassion, kindness and
empathy by praying for them, forgiving them and continuing to see them
in a way that is good and positive by searching for some quality about
them that you find beautiful, whether that is a physical quality,
something about their personality or something kind they once did for
either you or someone else.
In life, some people will expect things such as
kindness, respect and forgiveness to be instantly given to them despite how
they treat others. There are some people in the world that will demand respect,
kindness and forgiveness but choose not to be kind to, forgive or be respectful
to others. But you must forgive in order to be forgiven. You must be kind to
others if you want others to be kind to you and you must be respectful of
others if you want respect yourself.
In this world, you receive what you give. This means
what you put out to the world and to others in it comes right back to you.
Therefore you can’t expect others to be kind to you when you have been cruel to
them. You cannot expect others to respect you when you have been disrespectful
to them and you can’t expect someone to forgive you for your wrongdoings if you
don’t forgive others for theirs.
So, please remember you reap what you sow. If you want forgiveness, forgive others. If you want
kindness and generosity, be kind and generous to others. If you want
encouragement in your life, encourage others.
If you want confidence, inspire confidence in
others. If you want happiness, be happy for others. Giving out what you want to
receive makes you feel better about yourself and life. After all, it is much
better to give than to receive.
We
have many ups and downs in life and sometimes our lives are affected by
how we choose to respond to those blessings and those setbacks.
Sometimes, with setbacks, we place the blame on something or someone
else. With setbacks, failures or losses, we take it to heart and really
let it disappoint us. Maybe a plan went array or maybe something didn’t
work out as you envisioned or hoped for. Please know that it’s ok and
that sometimes the reason why things don’t work out how we want them too
all the time is because something better may happen later on.
Of
course, we want our lives to go perfect without any issues or stresses.
Of course we want things to go exactly as we plan but when they don’t,
we should not let that discourage us and we should not place the fault
on others but rather use the situation as a way to learn and grow from
it. By choosing to stay positive during a bad situation, maybe you will
learn something new from it or maybe it will help you understand
something or someone better from it, perhaps even yourself.
So,
do not let a setback or mishap stop you from going after your goals or
dreams. Use that setback as motivation to come back stronger and better
than ever. Work harder and try to devise a solution towards whatever
problem or setbacks you have to address in order for your plans and
dreams to become a reality for that brings you both the beauty and
blessing of learning and growing in life.
In life, there are times when you will want to try
to impress someone or be like them to try and earn their respect and
friendship. We may try to act like them, dress like them and talk like them
just to gain their acceptance and approval. However, his can lead in you losing
your own personal identity and developing a persona that is not true to who you
really are, just to be popular or liked by a certain individual or group.
What we need to remind ourselves is that trying to
be something we aren’t can become emotionally, physically, spiritually and
mentally exhausting. On top of that, if you have to change the person you are
just to get others to want to be around you or just so someone will accept you,
is that really a true friendship? No, it’s not because instead of accepting you
for who you really are, they are accepting you for a façade, someone you are
pretending to be just to get their attention or admiration.
Therefore, I encourage you to just be yourself and
embrace what makes you different, what makes you real. Those who truly belong
in your life will love and accept you for the unique individual you are and won’t
try to pressure or change you into being like them or being like someone else
just for their time and attention. You don’t have to be something you aren’t
just to get people to like you because the people who like you unconditionally for
you are the ones who deserve a place in your life. The ones who accept you,
your flaws, your strengths, your imperfections, your fears, your past etc. and
still think you are an amazing, wonderful person are the people you should keep
around because those are the friends that turn into family, the ones who will support
and encourage you no matter what happens in your life and the ones who will be
there for you through every blessing and every trial.
In our lives, we make mistakes every now and then.
However, that does not make it ok to put the blame entirely on others involved
rather than owning up to our mistakes. When you make a mistake, accept
responsibility for your wrongdoing, evaluate the situation and take a closer
look at what you could have done to remedy the situation or what you can do in
the future to ensure you don’t make that mistake again. This is a much positive
and powerful action instead of blaming others for what they did wrong because
by choosing to find a solution for the mistake, you are learning from your
mistakes and growing more as a person.
You are responsible for the choices you make in life
and how you live your life. Do not blame others for your misfortunes. Just
because you made a mistake, it does not mean you should look down on, criticize
or fault someone else for their involvement in the situation.
Everyone handles things differently and just because
they handled the situation different than you, it does not mean you still aren’t
partly responsible for whatever went wrong also. Instead of taking out your
frustrations by blaming someone else, accept what you did wrong and try to fix
the mistake in the best way that you can. By doing so, you make positive changes
to the situation and to your life.
Positive Films, Books & Television Shows For Women
There are many
positive films, books and shows out there that encompass strong, confident and
inspiring characters with positive messages for women. Most of the time when we
think of these types of entertainment, we imagine characters from The Hunger
Games, Star Wars, Charlie’s Angels, Xena: Warrior Princess or Frozen. However,
there are many other films, books and television shows that carry positive
messages for women including the one listed below.
Films:
The Help- This movie
is based on the novel of the same title by Kathryn Stockett. It stars Emma
Stone, Jessica Chastain and Bryce Dallas Howard. The story focuses on a young
woman named Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan who aspires to be a writer. After getting
a job at the Jackson Journal to write an advice column on housecleaning, she
enlists the help of her friend Elizabeth Leefolt’s maid, Aibileen Clark.
Eventually, Skeeter asks Aibileen to help her write a book on African-American
housemaids working for Caucasian families. Aibileen is reluctant at first but
eventually agrees. While writing this novel, Skeeter has a falling out with her
friend, Hilly Holbrook who mistreats everyone around her and is very prejudice
towards African Americans. When Hilly has her housemaid, Yule Mae Davis
arrested for theft, Skeeter is able to acquire more maids willing to speak
their stories about life as housemaids, which leads to the book being
published.
This film is
inspirational because it focuses on helping others which Skeeter does when she
helps bring the maids stories to light. The film also focuses on the value of
kindness, which is something that Aibileen is seen teaching the child she takes
care of about. The value of courage is also expressed when the housemaids
become willing to tell their stories to Skeeter. The importance of friendship
is displayed through the character of Celia Foote who treats Minny Jackson, her
housemaid as an equal, even choosing to sit with her while they ate their
lunches together. Celia and Minny also express kindness to each other which is
seen when Minny helps Celia through her miscarriage and when Celia gives advice
to Minny about her abusive husband, Leroy while taking care of Minny’s injury
caused by the abuse.
The film also carries
the powerful message that you can make a difference in the world and enforce
positive and powerful changes, which is what Skeeter and the housemaids
accomplish through their book. The film also expresses the importance of going
after your dreams which Skeeter does when she chooses to write about something
she feels strongly about. Additionally, the film expresses the message of
standing up for others and for your beliefs which is what Skeeter and the
housemaids all accomplish when they write about what is important to them, in
the hopes of inspiring positive changes to the world around them.
Alice In Wonderland-
This film stars Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska and Johnny Depp. It tells the
tale of Alice Kingsley who after running away from her engagement party falls
into a rabbit hole, leading her to the magical world of Underland. She soon
learns that she is tied to a prophecy where she would bring peace to Underland
by defeating the Jabberwocky and ending the Red Queen’s reign. Alice first
refuses to fight the Jabberwocky but after her friend, The Mad Hatter
sacrifices his freedom to protect her, she rushes to save him and eventually
decides to battle the Jabberwocky.
This film carries the
powerful message of being courageous, facing one’s fears and standing up for
yourself and for others, which Alice learns to do throughout the film. It also
embraces the message of accepting and loving what makes you different, which
Alice does by the end of the film. Other positive themes in the film are
compassion, forgiveness, sympathy and kindness which The White Queen shows
throughout the film, particularly when trying to reconcile with her sister, The
Red Queen at one point.
Becoming Jane- This
movie stars Anne Hathaway, Julie Walters and Maggie Smith. The film revolves
around the life of famous author, Jane Austen and how one of her most popular
novels, Pride and Prejudice came to be written and published. This film shows
positive messages such as going after your dreams, standing up for yourself and
breaking gender barriers.
Miss Potter- This
movie stars Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor and Lucy Boynton. The film revolves
around the life of famous author, Beatrix Potter and how her stories of Peter
Rabbit and his friends came to be written and published. This film shows
positive messages such as generosity, breaking gender barriers, standing up for
yourself, following your heart and going after your dreams.
Ever After: A
Cinderella Story- This movie stars Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston and Melanie
Lynskey. This film takes place in France and tells the story of a young woman
named Danielle de Barbarac, who after the death of her father was forced to
live in servitude by her stepmother, Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent. In order to
rescue a fellow servant, Danielle must disguise herself as a comtesse going by
her deceased birthmother’s name, Nicole de Lancret when she is approached by
Prince Henry. She and Henry form a friendship which later turns into a romantic
connection. However, Henry eventually discovers Danielle’s true identity and
Danielle’s servitude is sold to Monsieur Pierre le Pieu who is also attracted
to Danielle.
Henry calls off his
arranged marriage to Princess Gabriella of Spain and seeks to rescue Danielle.
Upon arriving at Monsieur le Pieu’s mansion, Henry finds Danielle has already
rescued herself. Henry begs for her forgiveness and the two rekindle their relationship.
This film shows many positive messages including strength and bravery, which
Danielle shows when she stands up for herself on numerous occasions to Monsieur
le Pieu along with her stepsister, Marguerite and her stepmother, Rodmilla.
Additionally, the value of friendship is shown multiple times through the
characters of Danielle and her best friend, Gustave.
Kindness is shown when
Danielle’s stepsister, Jacqueline helps tend to Danielle’s wounds and bonds
with her after a fight ensues in the manor between Danielle and Marguerite. The
value of knowledge is shown through Danielle’s love for reading and learning.
Lastly, towards the end of the film, a powerful lesson of treating others the
way you wish to be treated is learned when Rodmilla and Marguerite get their
own dose of karma for always treating Danielle poorly.
Where The Heart Is-
This movie stars Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman and Stockard Channing. The story
revolves around a young woman named Novalee Nation, who after being abandoned
by her boyfriend at a Walmart store ends up living inside of it. When she ends
up going into labor one night after the store closes, she becomes a media
sensation. A local woman named Sister Husband takes Novalee and her baby girl,
Americus into her home, giving Novalee the chance to get on the right track to
bettering her life and her daughter’s life. This film illustrates many powerful
messages including forgiveness, finding yourself, going after your dreams and
the value of friendship.
13 Going On 30- This
movie stars Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo and Judy Greer. When Jenna Rink
celebrates her thirteenth birthday, she wishes to be thirty years old. She
suddenly wakes up and her wish has come true, soon discovering that she is also
an editor for her favorite magazine, Poise. However, she later comes to the
realization that the things she wished for in life such as popularity and some
of the other finer things in life are not all what she expected as she
desperately wishes to be thirteen again. This movie illustrates many meaningful
messages including the importance of true friendship, the value of family,
finding yourself, staying humble and standing up for yourself and your beliefs.
The Queen- This movie
stars Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen and James Cromwell. It focuses on the few
days following the death of Princess Diana of Wales and how Queen Elizabeth II
handles the tragedy. This film illustrates the powerful message of being strong
and brave during difficult times as well as the importance of family.
Tomb Raider Series-
This movie series, inspired by the video game series, stars Angelina Jolie,
Noah Taylor and Chris Barrie and consists of two films, Tomb Raider: Lara Croft
and Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Both films revolve around the character of
Lara Croft, an adventuress from England. In the first film, Lara Croft: Tomb
Raider, Lara must stop Manfred Powell and his henchmen’s plans to reunite the
two halves of a mystical artifact known as the Triangle Of Light, which
possesses the power to alter time and space. In the second film, Tomb Raider:
The Cradle Of Life, Lara and her former beau, Terry Sheridan must stop a
scientist named Jonathan Reiss from obtaining the ancient artifact, Pandora’s
Box, which is said to carry a deathly plague. These films convey many powerful
messages including having courage, standing up for what is right, the
importance of family, breaking gender barriers, taking risks and being strong
in difficult times.
Catwoman- This movie
stars Benjamin Bratt, Sharon Stone and Halle Berry. When a woman named Patience
Phillips finds out a terrifying secret regarding a product made by the company
she works for, it leads her to a deadly fate. However, she is given a second
chance at life and chooses to use her newfound powers to expose her former
workplaces secrets by tracking down the person responsible for her death. This
film conveys the positive message of finding yourself and finding your purpose
in life. It also conveys positive messages such as having courage and the
importance of friendship.
Mulan- This movie
stars Eddie Murphy, June Foray and Ming-Na Wen. When Mulan fails to provide her
family honor after her meeting with the matchmaker, she feels lost. Suddenly,
her father is ordered to fight in the war. In a desperate effort to save his
life, she impersonates herself as a soldier and takes his place, pretending to
be his son and going by the name of Ping. Eventually, she proves herself to be
a strong soldier but gets wounded, exposing her true identity.
When she discovers
that the Emperor of China is in danger, Mulan rushes to the palace to save her
friends and her country. This film is a positive example of having courage,
taking risks, breaking gender barriers and having honor. This film also conveys
the positive messages of finding yourself and your purpose in life as well as
showing the importance of friends and family.
Bend It Like Beckham-
This movie stars Keira Knightley, Parminder Nagra and Juliet Stevenson. The
story takes place in England and focuses on an Indian girl named Jess with a
passion for soccer. Her passion eventually leads her to befriend a fellow
female soccer player named Jules who convinces Jess to play for a girl’s soccer
team. Eventually, Jess must choose between following her passion or her
family’s wishes for her, which is for her to become a lawyer and for her to
carry on her family’s cultural traditions. This movie shows many positive
messages such as following your heart, going for your dreams, breaking gender
barriers and the importance of friendship.
The Ramen Girl- This
movie stars Brittany Murphy, Kimiko Yo and Tammy Blanchard. The film revolves
around an American girl left stranded in Tokyo, Japan after her boyfriend
breaks up with her. Following the breakup, she finds solace at a nearby ramen
shop and becomes determined to master the art of cooking ramen. This film
focuses on many positive messages including believing in yourself, never giving
up on your goals, finding yourself and your purpose in life and the value of
friends and family. Television Series:
2 Broke Girls- This
series stars Kat Dennings, Beth Behrs and Jennifer Coolidge. It focuses on two
waitresses named Max Black and Caroline Channing. Throughout the series,
Caroline, a once wealthy heiress turned waitress after losing all her money in
her father’s scandal, helps Max to accomplish her dream of launching her own
cupcake business. This comedy series contains many positive messages including
the value of friendship and helping others which Caroline and Max show on
multiple occasions including when Max sticks up for Caroline after she
encounters Hilary, her bully from Wharton Business School at a local Whole
Foods store.
Young & Hungry-
This series stars Emily Osment, Aimee Carrero and Kym Whitley. It focuses on a
food blogger named Gabi Diamond, who lands a job with a wealthy tech
entrepreneur named Josh Kaminski as his personal chef. This series sends
multiple positive messages including having the courage to go after your dreams
and accepting others for who they are. Another message shown in this series is
the value of friendship which is seen through the characters of Gabi and her
best friend, Sofia Rodriguez. Gabi and Sofia also show the positive value of
helping others as seen by example when Sofia helps Gabi find a last-minute gift
for Josh, when Sofia helps Gabi with an out-of control party and when Gabi and
Sofia try to help Josh reconnect with his biological father.
Pasta- This series
stars Lee Sun Gyun, Choi Jae Hwan and Alex Chu. This South Korean drama is
centered around Seo Yoo-kyung, who after being fired from her job at La Sfera
restaurant becomes determined to prove herself to the new chef there, Choi
Hyun-wook. This series sends the positive message that you should stay
determined and work hard for your dreams and never give up on your goals.
I Love Lucy- This
series stars Lucille Ball, Vivian Vance and Desi Arnaz. The series focuses on
Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, along with their neighbors, Ethel and Fred Mertz. It
particularly focuses on the mischief that Lucy finds herself in, many times due
to wanting to get into the entertainment industry like her husband, Ricky.
Through the series, we see Ricky, Ethel and Fred try their best to help Lucy
out of all the troubles she for the most part, unintentionally causes. This
series contains many positive messages such as the value of friendship,
forgiving others, the importance of family and helping others.
Hart Of Dixie- This
series stars Rachel Bilson, Jaime King and Scott Porter. The series focuses on
Zoe Hart, a doctor from New York who discovers her biological father, Dr.
Harley Wilkes left her his half of his practice in Bluebell, Alabama. Upon
moving to Bluebell, she must prove herself worthy as a doctor to the
townspeople all while dealing with rival, Dr. Brick Breeland who wants the
practice all for himself. While getting accustomed to southern life, Zoe must
also deal with Brick’s daughter, Lemon who is intimidated by Zoe due to her
friendship with Lemon’s fiancé, George Tucker. This series contains many
positive messages such as the value of family, the importance of friendship, the value of forgiveness,
finding yourself in life and working hard for your goals.
Mama’s Family- This
series stars Vickie Lawrence, Dorothy Lyman and Ken Berry. The show focuses on
an elderly woman named Thelma Harper and her family. While at times they may
bicker, one of the important themes of this show is how Thelma and her family
are there to support each other both through the good and bad times. A few
examples of how they unite as a family is when Thelma helps Naomi who is being
harassed by the new store manager at her job, when Thelma helps Naomi when she
receives obscene phone calls, when Naomi, Vinton and the rest of the family
must intervene after Thelma develops an excessive shopping addiction and when
Fran, Naomi and Thelma help Buzz and Sonja plan their school dance.
All In The Family-
This series stars Jean Stapleton, Carroll O’Connor and Rob Reiner. The show
revolves around a man named Archie Bunker and his family. This show is a
positive series because of the character of Edith Bunker, who is Archie’s wife.
Edith’s character embodies kindness, forgiveness, generosity, honesty and
compassion. She is respectful, optimistic, friendly, devoted to her family and
is non-judgmental. She always does her best to do the right thing and help
others.
Sailor Moon- This
rebooted series stars Cherami Leigh, Cristina Vee and Kate Higgins. The anime
revolves around a clumsy teenage girl named Usagi Tsukino who after an
encounter with a magical cat named Luna, finds out she is a superheroine called
Sailor Moon. With the help of her friends, Sailor Moon must protect the planet
from dark forces. This series carries many important messages including the
values of friendship, loyalty, family, kindness, forgiveness, redemption etc.
It also shows the
importance of helping others and standing up for both yourself and for others.
Additionally, many characters are positive influences including the very
intelligent Ami Mizuno, otherwise known as Sailor Mercury and of course, Sailor
Moon, who shows that it’s ok to be different and that it’s ok to be yourself.
The character of Sailor Moon also shows her growth as a person throughout the
series as you see her become braver and stronger, all while remaining
optimistic and caring of others along with choosing to look for the good in
others.
Reign- This series
stars Torrance Coombs, Adelaide Kane and Megan Follows. It follows the life of
Mary Stuart, her husband, Francis and Mary’s ladies in waiting, Kenna, Aylee,
Greer and Lola. In later seasons, it also focuses on the life of Queen
Elizabeth I who feels threatened by Mary, due to the idea of Mary stealing
England’s throne away from her. This series focuses on many important messages
such as the value of friendship, standing up for your beliefs, being strong and
brave in difficult times and helping others in distress.
That’s So Raven- This
series stars Raven Symone, Orlando Brown and Rondell Sheridan. It focuses on a
teen psychic named Raven Baxter who gets into all kinds of trouble due to her
powers and trying to hide them from the world. The only people who know about
her visions are her family and her close friends, Chelsea and Eddie. This
series contains many great messages including having positive body image, being
brave enough to go after your dreams, protecting the environment, being loyal
to friends and family, making healthy and positive life choices, standing up
for your beliefs etc.
Total Bellas- This
reality series stars WWE Superstars Daniel Bryan, Brie Bella and Nikki Bella.
It focuses on the lives of WWE couple, Nikki Bella and John Cena along with WWE
couple, Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan. Additionally, other members of Brie Bella
and Nikki Bella’s family are featured on the show including their brother,
mother and stepfather. This reality series shows the importance of family as
they stick by each other through their hardships which include Nikki Bella’s
neck surgery and Daniel Bryan’s depression, following his forced retirement from in-ring competition.
The Golden Girls- This
series stars Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty. It focuses on four
women in Miami, Florida living together as roommates. Through the series, these
women develop a strong bond with each other, sharing their day to day lives
with one another. This series relays many messages including the importance of
family and friends. It also shows the women’s strengths as they deal with
hardships including the women’s home being robbed, Rose suffering a heart
attack, Blanche’s father passing away, Sophia having issues with her memory and
Dorothy’s gambling problem resurfacing.
Hot In Cleveland- This
series stars Wendie Malick, Betty White and Jane Leeves. It focuses on three
women, originally from Los Angeles, California moving to Cleveland, Ohio after
an unexpected trip there. When they find a home available in Cleveland, they
discover that the house comes with a caretaker named Elka Ostrovsky.
Throughout the series,
Elka’s relationship grows with the three women known as Joy Scroggs, Melanie
Moretti and Victoria Chase as they share their lives together, both the good
times and the hardships. This comedy series sends many messages including the
importance of friends and family. Additionally, this series focuses on the
strength of these four women as they deal with their daily lives and the
hardships that come in them, as seen by example when the character of Elka gets
in trouble with the law, when Victoria’s fiancé ends up in jail, when Melanie
finds out she has cancer and when Joy’s son finds her and asks her why she gave
him up for adoption.
Living Single- This
series stars Queen Latifah, Kim Fields and Kim Cole. It focuses on four women
and two men who share their lives together in Brooklyn, New York. This comedy
series showcases the importance of family and friends. It focuses on many key values
in life including loyalty, forgiveness and staying positive. Additionally, the
series focuses on the strength of these individuals as they help each other
through hardships, as seen by example when Khadijah, Regine and Synclaire’s
apartment is robbed during the night or when Maxine must defend herself in
court after she takes a telemarketing job that unbeknown to her, turns out to
be a scam.
Books:
“The Help”- This book
is written by Kathryn Stockett. It focuses on a young woman named Eugenia
“Skeeter” Phelan who aspires to be a writer and desires to publish a book on
African-American housemaids working for Caucasian families, to which she
enlists the help of her friend Elizabeth Leefolt’s maid, Aibleen Clark and
another maid named Minny Jackson, who upon being fired by Hilly Holbrook,
begins to work for Celia Foote, a blonde bombshell who Hilly is envious of and
tends to bully on numerous occasions.
This novel contains
many positive messages including the importance of treating others as you wish
to be treated and accepting others which is shown through the character of
Skeeter when she shows respect to Minny and Aibleen, considering them good
friends. The value of strength is shown through the character of Celia Foote who
grows as a character as she endures many hardships including miscarriages and
being considered an outcast by Hilly Holbrook and Elizabeth Leefolt. The value
of friendship is shown through Celia Foote as she immediately considers Minny as
a friend upon meeting her along with coming to Minny’s defense when she is in
peril.
Celia is a very
positive character also due to her optimistic and caring nature. The value of
courage is also shown when Aibleen, Minny and Skeeter choose to take the risk
in writing their novel and when Aibleen stands up to Hilly. Bravery is also
shown when Minny decides to leave her abusive husband, Leroy.
