Recently it
was reported that a number of high profile women have begun a campaign to ban
the “b-word.” What is surprising is the
campaign is not focused on ending the infamous “b-word” that is a slur against
women. The “b-word” these high profile
women want to ban is “bossy.”
The
campaign to ban the word bossy is led by Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg and
endorsed by high profile celebrity Beyonce who believe the word bossy
discourages young girls and women from seeking leadership positions. The campaign seeks to empower young girls and
women to utilize their voice to be recognized for their accomplishments and
strive to close the pay and leadership gap that exists between men and
women. So far 100,000 people have signed
a pledge to stop saying the word bossy[i].
While this
is a noble campaign, I believe there are a number of causes that high profile
women could focus their attention to empower young girls and women. Shouldn't there be a campaign to ban the marketing
of provocative clothing to young girls?
Shouldn't there be a campaign to ban the body image and perceptions of
beauty in the fashion industry? Finally,
what about campaigning against the portrayal of young girls and women in many
of the television shows? Shows that
portray young girls and women as shallow, petty and vindictive also send
messages to young girls that to be popular, date the cute guy and to be part of
the “popular” group, you cannot be smart.
Instead of
starting a movement to ban the word bossy, why not lend their celebrity to a
movement for women and young girls to consider other fields where women are not
traditionally represented? Why not
campaign to ban something that matters like helping young girls learn how to
cope without a father?
There are a
number of things that are far more important to the empowerment, health and
overall well being of women and young girls than banning the word bossy. Since I am not a woman, I guess being called
“bossy” is more offensive than being called the other “b word.”
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