As we’ve said goodbye to 2016, let’s take a look back at the wealth of amazingness that was the past years brilliant TED Talks. From sex workers to cultural diversity, 2016 was the year of ‘awareness’. Here are five TED Talks that rocked it, socked it, and clocked it! Which talks did you enjoy? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
Reshma Saujani
Teach girls bravery, not perfection
We’re raising our girls to be perfect, and we’re raising our boys to be brave, says Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code. Saujani has taken up the charge to socialize young girls to take risks and learn to program – two skills they need to move society forward. To truly innovate, we cannot leave behind half of our population, she says. “I need each of you to tell every young woman you know to be comfortable with imperfection.”
Lidia Yuknavitch
The beauty of being a misfit
To those who feel like they don’t belong: there is beauty in being a misfit. Author Lidia Yuknavitch shares her own wayward journey in an intimate recollection of patchwork stories about loss, shame and the slow process of self-acceptance. “Even at the moment of your failure, you are beautiful,” she says. “You don’t know it yet, but you have the ability to reinvent yourself endlessly. That’s your beauty.”
Tim UrbanInside the mind of a master procrastinator
Tim Urban knows that procrastination doesn’t make sense, but he’s never been able to shake his habit of waiting until the last minute to get things done. In this hilarious and insightful talk, Urban takes us on a journey through YouTube binges, Wikipedia rabbit holes and bouts of staring out the window – and encourages us to think harder about what we’re really procrastinating on, before we run out of time.
Dalia Mogahed
What do you think when you look at me?
When you look at Muslim scholar Dalia Mogahed, what do you see: a woman of faith? a scholar, a mom, a sister? or an oppressed, brainwashed, potential terrorist? In this personal, powerful talk, Mogahed asks us, in this polarizing time, to fight negative perceptions of her faith in the media – and to choose empathy over prejudice.
Toni Mac
The laws that sex workers really want
Everyone has an opinion about how to legislate sex work (whether to legalize it, ban it or even tax it) … but what do workers themselves think would work best? Activist Toni Mac explains four legal models that are being used around the world and shows us the model that she believes will work best to keep sex workers safe and offer greater self-determination. “If you care about gender equality or poverty or migration or public health, then sex worker rights matter to you,” she says. “Make space for us in your movements.” (Adult themes)
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