Facebook COO Sheryl Sandburg, Jennifer Garner, Condoleezza Rice, Girl Scout CEO Anna Maria Chávez, and Queen Bey are teaming up to launch a unique campaign called “Ban Bossy.” This powerful, inspirational team of women wants to end the use of this word at an early age. They believe that girls who take on leadership positions are often referred to as “bossy, stubborn, rude, power-hungry,” but when a boy exerts leadership it is often viewed as something that is assertive, powerful, and even sexy.
I found this new campaign to be particularly interesting because I myself have been called bossy many times throughout my life. “Bossy” starts early. I remember being called bossy in fourth grade during a science project. When I tried to take a leadership position within my lab group, one of the boys immediately called me out for being bossy. Throughout my 20 years I have been called bossy countless times, and although it hurt, I tried to never let it stop me. But this is a word that is commonly used at a young age, and continues throughout the life of a female. I do believe that a fear of being “bossy” can stop both young girls and older woman from working to their full leadership potential. COO of Facebook, Sheryl Sandburg (author of Lean In), shares some startling statistics in reference to the campaign:
“If you look at the world, women do 66 percent of the work in the world. Woman produce 50 percent of the food. Women make 10 percent of the income and women own 1 percent of the property. We are 50 percent of the population. We are 5 percent of the Fortune 500 CEOs. We are 17 percent of the board seats. We are 19 percent in Congress. That’s not enough for 50 percent of the population. We live in a world that is overwhelming run and owned by men.”
The women are on a quest to not only band the word “bossy,” but to get rid of the negative connotation that comes with powerful, ambitious women. I personally think that “bossy” is a word that is used when a man or another woman feels threatened by a confident, powerful woman. We can’t let this stop us. So come on ladies, let’s be more like Gabrielle Union in the “Miss Independent” video. And if you find yourself being called bossy, just remember to channel Queen Bey: I’m not bossy, I’m the boss.
Check out the campaign here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dynbzMlCcw