Flabby Asses & The Patriarchy
I bought a full length mirror for the hallway upstairs, I needed/wanted to be able to plan my outfits and enjoy all of the positive changes. I still do that however, most of the time it’s just gasping at my now very low hanging flabby ass. How, when, WHY…. I was at the gym this morning, warm up on the treadmill, doing some arm stretches and “flooooop” – new sports bras are on order. These are good problems to have, but “problems” none the less.
This week (yes, it’s only Tuesday) has given me a run for my money. Let me preface this by saying I love what I do and I have been doing it a long time. I have been given amazing opportunities which I worked for – nothing was ever handed to me.
Gender discrimination in the work place has evolved since our Mothers were burning their bras and fighting for equality, but there is still much to do. I think some of it boils down to biology, gender roles which still have women as primary caregivers 50-80% of the time depending on where in the world you reside. It has been proven that women make amazing leaders, we are sensitive to others, we listen, we weigh options and POV’s, we rarely take credit for work our teams do ensuring that we don’t inadvertently take anything away from the team. One thing I struggle with often is perception, when a man walks into a room and gives his opinion on something sensitive, subjective or controversial he’s enlightened and a great leader. When a woman does it she’s over compensating for a lack of self confidence by being too confident and aggressive (that was purposely confusing).
I don’t know if it’s the surgery that’s given me more clarity or confidence in myself – likely. I can do hard things, I can overcome a lifetime of what I thought I wasn’t strong enough to tackle. I’ve concluded that women need strong female role models, that I’m not going to complain about the inequality, but I am going to be part of the solution. When I make my mind up about something, you might as well just sit by and watch me, Mama didn’t raise us to keep the peace. Roughly 1% of all CEO’s are female, of that 1% only 25% are women of color – enough is enough.
So ladies, I’d say let’s burn our bra’s but those bad boys are like $100. So instead, tuck your boob back in, push your shoulders back, stand up straight, keep working harder, hold each other up and be the reason we succeed. Also, tell them to take their own notes, we’re busy.
