Michelle Obama Encourages Girls to Compete With the Boys

Mýah Pitter, Staffer

First lady Michelle Obama gets a hug from Savanah Southerland during an unannounced visit to the Blanchard Park YMCA in east Orlando, Florida, Tuesday, July 10, 2012. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)

First lady, Michelle Obama was at the Apollo Theater  Sep. 29, encouraging girls to not let boys get in the way of their success. According to thedailybeast.com, Obama admitted that “if I had worried about who liked me and who thought I was cute when I was your age, I wouldn’t be married to the president of the United States.”

“Girls definitely do need that empowerment, especially since in so many parts of the world girls are of lower ranking of guys and they don’t get as many opportunities as guys do,” said member of Girl Up, Shailyn Brillon.

As Obama was promoting her “Let Girls Learn” campaign, she encouraged schoolgirls to beat the boys, and not be afraid to let their talent shine. The recurring theme of her campaign was “you’re worth it.”

As well as promoting her campaign, thedailybeast.com, shares how Obama was desperately trying to bring attention to the estimated 62 million girls around the world that are not in school. Lack of funds, distance of the nearest educational facility, gender norms, poverty, early marriage and pregnancies, requirements to get a job and so many more are reasons girls aren’t able to get the proper education that they need, and desperately desire.
“Compete with the boys,” Obama said as she was encouraging girls to be the brainiest in the classroom. “There are kids just as bright as me who didn’t get those opportunities, so I think about that every single day. That’s one of the reasons I’m so passionate about not only international education, but education period.”