By Danielle Lyons
When one thinks of Amy Poehler, they think of her humor and sheer positive energy. This positive energy wildly popular in the internet world. Most notoriously so, is the outstanding advice she doles out. This advice, along with her life story has been compiled into one glorious collection of essays entitled, “Yes Please.” Her wise words are the kind that stick with you, due to the lighthearted approach combined with the weight of her message.
Being unsure of your self is unfortunately almost a rite of passage growing up. Whether it be from media or society; we as women are conditioned to be unsure of ourselves. In her book, she speaks of her uphill battle to gain self-confidence. In this book she describes her battle with her poor self-esteem, or “The Demon,” as she refers to it. She states:
“I was eventually okay. And you will be okay too. Here’s why. I had already made a decision early on that I would be a plain girl with tons of personality, and accepting it made everything a lot easier. If you are lucky, there is a moment in your life when you have some say as to what your currency is going to be. I decided early on it was not going to be my looks.Decide what your currency is and let go of what you don’t have.”
Instead of focusing so much energy on what she felt lacking in, she focused on what she felt sure of. And that was, her talent in performing. It’s all about finding your strength and running with it. In
Another gem in her book is her new mantra:
“Good for her! Not for me.’ That is the motto women should constantly repeat over and over again.”
When surfing through the media, you see countless titles about, “Celebrity Cat Fights.” Very seldom does one see an article about a women supporting each other. Not only are we conditioned from a young age to criticize ourselves, but were taught to harshly criticize other women. When you read her book, you see all of the fantastic women she surrounds herself with such as Tina Fey, Aubrey Plaza, Rashida Jones, and Retta. She celebrates every single one of them, even writing personal messages in her memoir. This outpour of support has no doubt contributed to her success in the industry. One can imagine that she gets such support back tenfold.
As little girls, were taught to be polite and be little ladies. Being a take charge kind of lady is hardly encouraged. But with the pay wage gap still a problem, women have every incentive to take charge. Amy Poehler says:
“Let me take a minute to say that I love bossy women. Some people hate the word, and I understand how “bossy” can seem like a shitty way to describe a woman with a determined point of view, but for me, a bossy woman is someone to search out and celebrate. A bossy woman is someone who cares and commits and is a natural leader”
Hollywood began as quite the boys club, and there are still remnants of that today. Her passionate nature has allowed her to take charge despite any criticisms. She’s taking the taboo of a woman in control, into a positive thing.
Amy Poehler has gained such a wealth of knowledge as she came into adulthood and journeyed through Hollywood. She shares this wealth throughout this delightfully enthralling book. It’ll grip you from the beginning and carry you through the whole thing. Amy Poehler is a positive role model that encourages women to be at their best. Her books is certainly worth the read.