I am so tired of being called bossy. And bitchy. And stuck up.
It would be different if I was actually bossy, bitchy, and/or stuck up. I would not take offense to these claims if they were accurate. I'll wear any shoe that fits.
But the thing is: I'm not actually bossy. Or bitchy. Or stuck up. I'm stubborn, for sure; strong-willed. And yes, I'm sometimes a bit candid. I'm passionate. I'm assertive. When I have thoughts and opinions and ideas, I share them. I stick with my gut; trust my intuition. And because I am this way, I'm often labeled unfairly.
These labels are assigned to me simply because I'm a girl. That is literally the only reason. Throughout history, women have not been the leaders, but the conformists; silent and obedient and polite. For some reason, it seems as if young women are expected to still fit into that mold. And when she doesn't; when she dares to speak up or innovate or take control, she's bossy. She's a bitch. She's stuck up.
Why aren't women allowed to be assertive?
Anna Wintour is always called a bitch, and I absolutely hate hearing people call her that. An entire book/movie (that I admittedly love) was supposedly based off of her, called The Devil Wears Prada. The devil! Lucifer! Satan! Anna Wintour was compared to Satan! And for what? For being brutally honest? For not accepting mediocracy? For protecting Vogue's position as the most influential fashion magazine in the world? Here's the truth: there's no one on Earth who can do what she does the way she does it. No one. And she knows that. And she's proud of that. And if she's seemingly serious and harsh I can only imagine that it's in order to ensure the continuation of the success of American Vogue. She works hard. She means business. That does not make her a bitch. If a man had her job, he'd be called revolutionary and innovative and an inspiring leader. Let's treat Anna Wintour (and every other successful and assertive woman) with the same respect.
Why is it that any woman reaching for leadership roles is portrayed as power-hungry and men-hating?
Time Magazine's cover story one week was a feature on Hillary Clinton's success. The cover? A photo of a heel about to step on a man. The portrayal of Hillary was ridiculously inaccurate, considering the fact that man-crushing has never been on her agenda. Why is it that society thinks that women measure success by the shortcomings of men? Men: we are not out to get you (not all of us, at least). Out to get some of your jobs, maybe, but not you. There's nothing wrong with women wanting positions that are usually filled by men. If anything, it's beneficial to the job market, creating some healthy competition.
And another point: WOMEN ARE NOT OBLIGATED TO BE WARM AND CUDDLY!
Contrary to popular belief, not all girls are made of the perfect blend of sugar and spice and everything nice. Actually, a lot of girls are mostly spice. And that's ok. They cannot control their personalities. If they aren't necessarily the friendliest person in the world, that does not make them a bitch. Just because she's not talkative or touchy-feely doesn't mean she's stuck up, just introverted.
Stop criticizing girls for not fitting into the mold society has made for us.
So yeah. I think I'm done ranting now.
