Designing to Break Stereotypes with Merida Miller
Tell us about Project Fearless
Project Fearless is after school programs designed to get girls sharing experiences, where they can step out of their comfort zones together, break stereotypes, find their individual voice, and build their confidence and resilience.
What led you to start Project Fearless?
A million things came together at one point in my life. One of the biggest ones was that I've always wanted to create impact – it’s one of my drivers, and what makes me happiest. Even though at the time, I was working as an advanced concept designer, with a sexy title at a sexy company, I wasn’t being my best me, I wasn’t making an impact. So I thought back to a time in my life when I was making the most impact. It was when I was a snowboard instructor for people with disabilities. There were three reasons I loved it and these have been important pillars in my life ever since:
Being Physically Active – there was the element of learning by doing, falling down and getting back up.
Creating a Ripple Effect Impact – I was allowing one person to feel the power of the slope, but that also empowered their families and communities.
Community – we were always cheering each other on, and we loved that.
During the time period I’d often reflect back to my time as a snowboarding instructor, I was also going to all kinds of events for women – lean in circles, or groups that came together to learn how to ask for a raise etc. There was a lot of this happening later in life, but I thought – why aren’t these key life skills being taught at a younger age? To learn how to stand up and speak out, to make room for other women, to learn that my voice mattered. This was a need.
I put the need together with my three pillars and that’s how Project Fearless was born.
What makes Project Fearless successful? What have you learned along the way about designing for females?
It’s always in testing phase
We recognise that we can prepare each other—but leave a lot of space to the girls, to each other as the coaches, to the world around us as what’s happening and needs to be addressed in the moment. We have some structure and key goals that we need to hit, but we are flexible to incorporate what we hear from these three places.
Create a space where people can show up and be themselves
We as coaches set the tone for a space where people can show up and be themselves, by fully being ourselves. We are telling girls that it’s important to recognise that we can all be leaders and team mates at the same time. We need to show that, so the coaches take turns being head and assistant coach. The girls see the coaches celebrating each other, and when we disagree, we do it in a respectful way. It’s a lot of making that that we practice what we preach. That’s the ethos and the space that we emotionally create.
Being intentional about Project Fearless’ lens of change
Our courses at Project Fearless always fall under 3 pillars:
The Maker space – learning by doing, learning through failure
Mind and movement – feeling strong and trying new things without the need to be perfect
Community and leadership – whether you are at the front of the march, in the march or making signs for the march - there’s room for us all
Having these 3 pillars very clearly has made it easier for me to say yes or no to what we should include in our project roster. We are clear about the way we create impact and that is important for the girls, their parents and our coaches.
How do you believe these three pillars break stereotypes?
There are different types of stereotypes and here are the ones that we’re addressing:
The classic boy vs. girl stereotypes – that girls belong in the kitchen and or that skateboarding is a very male sport.
The girl to girl stereotypes - that girls can’t work on the same team together because they will always be whispering behind each others’ backs.
Limiting beliefs - that there’s only one type of leader, who stands up, or that confidence means you are willing to get up on stage. We put so much attention on Greta Thunberg, but the way she started was not using her voice at all. It’s important to let the girls know that your voice matters no matter what size or medium of impact you have.
What are some common misconceptions about designing for women?
There’s certainly one that I had going into designing for Project Fearless: that you need to shelter everything from the girls. Sometimes you do have to recognise age appropriate conversations, but there have been many moments where I’ve had to say “well, this is real life, let’s learn about this together.” I also thought that they don’t know a lot, or everything they knew is wrong. I went into Project Fearless not giving them enough credit.
Where else do you wish to see more design for women?
Finance
Bathrooms: The skatepark that we use doesn’t have a toilet - that’s because most people who use skate are men, and they can “go outside.” But it prevents others who can’t as easily go outside from using the skatepark.
Spaces to talk about the gaps that exist / more education: I wish that my own male friends knew more about our hardships or how the world was designed for men. Sometimes, it’s hard for a man to understand that, for example, “owning your sexuality” is something important for women when they’ve grown up reading magazines which almost always presented them as a sexual partner who was there to please. When I do have a discussion about these sorts of issues, they might feel attacked, or I might feel misunderstood, so I wish that education spaces were designed to address this.
Boundaries: being able to say no, and not being worried about being perceived as a woman who is prioritising her family over her work or someone who doesn’t have it in her to get it done.
What are some examples you’re seeing in the world that you feel are truly designing for women?
Enough as she is is an excellent book by Rachel Simmons. We recommend it to all parents, and it has had an immense impact on me as a non-parent too.
Period Apps: despite which one you are using, I am just happy that more people are tracking their period. There’s so much scientific knowledge that we are missing and can learn there.
About Merida Miller
Originally from the US, Merida studied fashion design in university and after graduating worked for Under Armour as an advanced concept designer for their innovation. After 7 years at Under Armour, she knew that although the job title and company were “cool”, it wasn’t where she was meant to be. She knew she needed to create a space where she could be hands-on and active, create an impact, and most importantly create a space where she could empower people to reach their best selves. Now she spends her days working with some of the most talented and unique womxn in Amsterdam to help make Project Fearless a success.