If you’re a woman and you check your email every day, you need to subscribe to Lenny Letter. The brainchild of Lena Dunham and her friend, Jenni Koner, “Lenny” is a newsletter geared towards women covering the essentials: feminism, politics, style, health, friendship, and just about everything in between. As a ritual reader of theSkimm myself, I was concerned that subscribing to Lenny would be redundant and clutter my mailbox. Yet, I remained loyal to Lena Dunham, the writer and star of HBO’s Girls, and decided to try it out. Now, I read it almost more ritually than the theSkimm and think it’s the perfect way to start my morning!
One of my favorite elements of Lenny Letter is that the newsletter features of some of the most incredible women of our time. Through fun, engaging interviews and personal essays about the hardest days of work or menstruation, Dunham and Koner truly create an honest celebration of women.
This past week, Lenny featured an essay by Jennifer Lawrence titled “Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co‑Stars?” We all know J-Law as our favorite leading lady in countless films. A positive body-image advocate, a stunning presence on the red carpet, and just downright hilarious, she’s won the hearts of basically everyone in America. She’s done it again with this flawless essay touching on the wage gap in her own experience as a working woman.
Though her experience isn’t exactly relatable for us as a multimillionaire, she raises some of the most relatable issues that women face every day. She struggled to negotiate harder, fearing that she would be perceived as a “spoiled brat,” while her male counterparts pushed harder for more money and won– likely without any negative consequences. She struggled to voice her opinion without being perceived as aggressive and argumentative. As a result, she ended up making millions of dollars less than the men in her movies. Clearly, no matter how rich, famous and successful you are or how respected you are as an actress, the barriers women are presented with do not crumble.
The issue of a gender wage gap is nothing new; you’ve probably heard a lot about it from Hillary Clinton recently. You also probably heard a lot about it this summer after the Women’s World Cup. “According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women make approximately 78 cents for every dollar a man makes.” There are more male CEOs with the name John than the total number of woman CEOs! Have you ever had to tone down your own voice, emotions, or opinion in fear of being perceived as “bossy,” or worse, “b*tchy?” I’m with Lawrence when she says, “I’m over trying to find the “adorable” way to state my opinion and still be likable.” While we have to constantly question how to navigate speaking our mind, men are celebrated for taking charge.
As I read Lawrence’s article, I too could recall countless times I opted to stop an argument or hold back my opinion in fear of being perceived negatively. But this is not a tirade against men. It is not the fault of men nor the fault of women, but a norm in our society that needs to be changed. In fact, the discrimination may not even be conscious. Most men you talk to would undoubtedly agree that a wage gap is wrong, yet they too fall victim to making the same comments and practicing the same sexism that they are against. So, what can we do about it? I say we all take a lesson from J-Law, from Beyoncé, from Nicki Minaj and from all of the other powerful women we have as role models in Hollywood; own being a bad*ss chick, and stop worrying about being a “brat” or about being “bossy.” We, as women, have just as much right to be celebrated, to be strong, and to be successful!
Read more of J-Law’s interview and subscribe to Lenny Letter!
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