After reading Nellie Bly’s story, it amazed me that I had never heard of her.
Bly’s story is well worth discovering. A bright girl with hopes of achieving a higher education, she was forced to abandon her studies due to financial problems. Yet this setback did not stop her from aspiring to a brighter future and, significantly, from letting her voice be heard.
At only eighteen (the same age as me), she wrote a fiercely clever letter in response to an editorial piece called “What Girls Are Good for”, in which a well-known writer criticized the working woman, calling her a “monstrosity”. When in fact I think the atrocity was his way of thinking. This editor insisted that woman belonged in the home.
Bly’s impassioned contradiction reflected her conviction that women were the equal of men, and as deserving of opportunity: “Let a youth start as errand boy and he will work his way up until he is one of the firm. Girls are just as smart, a great deal quicker to learn; why, then, can they not do the same?”
Bly’s well written and audacious letter criticizing and challenging the editor’s backward and sexist article earned her a job on the paper.
As a journalist, Bly’s passion for the truth led her into challenging situations, one of the most striking of which was posing as a patient in a mental asylum, undergoing terrible treatments and inhumane conditions in order to expose the frightening flaws in these institutions at the time. Bly was never lacking in courage when it came to striving for justice through the power of the written word. The New York Journal once named her “The best reporter in America.”
Nowadays the presence of woman in journalism is strong. Risking their lives in war torn countries in order to expose atrocities. Writing savage satirical features on corrupt politicians or government. Showcasing outstanding work, winning several awards like the Pulitzer Price. From newspapers to video journalism, blogging to Twitter, our voices are heard around the world. And we owe this to the courage and progressiveness of woman like Nellie Bly.
Bly’s letter to the sexist editor, a bold action with a great outcome, not only sparked her own career, giving her the opportunity to use her voice to make changes for the better, but paved the way for women like her to use the written word to incite change.
This is why I have chosen Nellie Bly, a bold and inspirational woman and journalist, for this feature. Just as she did, we hope to use our blog to discover truths and inspire others.
What are girls good for? Absolutely anything that we want.