Not only is Gretchen Carlson the 1989 Miss America; she is also a television commentator, a New York Times best-selling author, and an advocate for ending sexual harassment. Now, she can even add TED talk speaker to her laundry list of accomplishments and titles.
In her talk, “How We Can End Sexual Harassment At Work,” Gretchen’s goal was to inform the audience about the realities of sexual harassment, as well as inspire them to take a stand against it.
In her talk, Gretchen stresses that sexual harassment is not about sex. Instead, she claims that it is about power, more specifically, about taking away one’s power. This is such an interesting way of approaching the topic that it actually made me pause the video. The idea was so new and different I wanted to let it sink into my brain before I continued on. I love that. When a TED talk literally makes you sit back and think about a point they discussed, that is how you know it’s a good one, because it was sticky.
Sexual harassment, especially in the workplace, is so common and Gretchen discussed this for two reasons. For one thing, she wanted to show how large this issue is and how many women it actually affects. In addition, she wanted to show women that they were not alone and that we need to come together to stand up against sexual harassment. She threw out some statistics to back up these points. 1 in 3 women are harassed in the workplace, and of those women, 71% of those cases are not reported due to the fear of embarrassment or even getting fired.
Gretchen was incredibly well-spoken in this talk, using a powerful voice during certain parts to show her strength, yet she also allowed her emotions to peek through during the sentimental story involving her children. The balance between these voices allowed Gretchen to really connect with the audience and make them feel deeply connected to her and her story.
This talk really expanded my understanding of sexual harassment in the workplace because I never knew just how often it occurs. She also explained ways that we can end it, such as speaking up when we see something instead of being a bystander. This speech really showed me the difference between giving a presentation and delivering a speech. Giving a presentation usually emphasizes the slideshow or whatever material one is presenting. However, delivering a speech includes emotion in conjunction with information. This talk was a solid example of how a speaker should deliver a speech because it was extremely informative while continuing to hold the audience’s attention from the emotions and stories mixed within.
I want to end this blog post with the same quote Gretchen ended her talk with:
“We will be the women we were always meant to be. And above all, we will always be fierce.”
I have actually watched this TED Talk before and I agree, Gretchen’s approach to the topic was unique and made me reflect as well. She was so well-spoken, like you said, that the issue of sexual harassment shone through without any cliches or overbearing emotional aspects.
I really enjoyed reading this post. I want to help solve the issue of sexual harassment as well, and even completed a service project on it recently, so this topic is very relevant to what I’m researching right now. I like your writing style as well, as it flows well and is concise. Nice job!
I really enjoyed your analysis of this TED talk and the fact that you chose it in the first place. Recently, sexual harassment has been all over the media, especially in the context of Hollywood, so it is becoming super important and necessary that we begin to talk about. Based on your analysis, this TED talk seems to be extremely moving and powerful to the point where everyone should watch it so they truly understand the haunting nature of sexual harassment. I was also surprised by the workplace statistic, and it’s honestly appalling. It hurts me that not only are women abused like this, but they also are too scared to take action against it. I hope with more people beginning to speak out, the current situation will change.