At HFS Collective, one of our central missions is to help empower women. As we see it, one of the biggest obstacles standing in our way is our own self-perception. From the day we are born, we are bombarded with messages from the media which subliminally cause us to feel that our worth is determined more by how we look than who we are or what we do. Worst and most damaging of all, is that we have been trained to subconsciously see ourselves as objects to be judged. We want to be pretty because we are told that is where our value lies. Then, just to make us really feel confused and insecure, we are given mixed messages: yes, legally, you can be anything you want, but the only examples we see valued on television or in the movies are women in supporting, sexualized roles. The media seems to make women choose: do you want success or do you want love? This is at the heart of the issue.