Inspiring Women Summer 2018

Connecticut: FAWCO is “a-Twitter” on Social Media
ELINOR BADANES
FAUSA and American Women of Surrey,
England
From: Bloomington, Indiana
Lives: New Canaan, Connecticut
Not long ago, on the occasion of my
daughter’s 30 th birthday, I was asked to
speak about my own 30 th birthday. What
an opportunity to think about my first 30
years and to think about where life had
taken me. On that day I was in a
reflective mood as I had just turned 60 as
she was turning 30. I know my first 30
years were most influential in shaping
who I am today. From hometown roots a
mile from the campus of Indiana
University, I remember dreaming of the
day I would jump in my Chevy Camaro
(my dream car at the time) and move to
the city. My dream didn’t really define
which city, but it was a city. I am here to say that sometimes dreams really do come true. A
month after I graduated from IU, I did in fact jump in my car (a Chevy Chevette) and I moved
to Cincinnati. From there I moved to New York and on to Copenhagen with my new husband,
Alan. My journey continued back to New York and on to London where we would stay for 12
years. Home is now one hour from Manhattan in Connecticut.
It’s hard to think of a time when I wasn’t surrounded by words. As the daughter of a university
professor, verbal and written skills were valued. I have three books on my shelf today written by
my father. For any misbehavior, my brother, sister or I would be sent to our rooms to pen an
essay on the topic he assigned. This seemed quite brutal at the time but perhaps was, in fact, a
gift. As kids, we were offered money to read volumes of the encyclopedia during our summer
holidays. The cash was quite tempting, I recall. I had a childhood book of poems which I read
until it was tattered. After college, when I started my career as a retail buyer I became
engrossed in all things fashion and read trade publications, books and magazines. I loved giving
presentations and writing. Looking back, I think my childhood surrounded by academia while
balanced by a Mother who had lived in Paris, served me well.
I have always embraced technology. I remember joining Twitter back in March 2008, exactly
two years after it launched. I was slightly dismayed when an organist from Portland, a perfect
stranger, followed me. Of course, that was the whole point of social media; sharing, listening
and learning from others. The challenge of expressing oneself in 140 characters or less was
revolutionary. Since those early days Twitter has become relevant and newsworthy to people
across the globe. Over the years, I’ve live tweeted events, I’ve tweeted about pajamas,
pajama days, family travels, coffee, my pets, lunch, seasons, pizza, my mugs, TED Talks,
conferences, webinars, news of the day and the joys of lounging and being idle. I’ve been
followed by colleagues in my field of e-commerce and online marketing, I’ve been followed by
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