Embarking on a purge of men and male influence for an extended period of time is an empowerment strategy popularized by E. Jean Carroll in her 2003 book “Mr. Right, Right Now!”. Love it or hate it, taking a break from interacting with men is definitely a commitment. And since we live in a world designed by men, for men, there is a lot of work that someone must do to keep on course.
- Communicate Ahead of Time
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If your life isn’t surrounded by exclusively women, and there are men in your life who are going to be confused by your absence (ie coworkers, family members, etc.), then it’s probably a good idea to let them know that you’re going to go dark for awhile. You don’t want anyone to file a missing person’s report.
- Media Management
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A lot of media is focused on male energy. Unfortunately, it takes some due dilligence to prepare a slate of female focused movies and television. Be sure to include Dollface, Bridesmaids, Orange is the New Black, Glow, Killing Eve, Booksmart, and Big LIttle Lies in your arsenal.
- Music Minded
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There are a lot of girl power jams out there. It wouldn’t take long to find a curated playlist on Spotify for any genre you’re in to. Let Kelsea Ballerini inspire you to greatness!
- #WomenSupportingWomen
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Use this opportunity to patron women owned businesses. There are so many out there that get overlooked by the dominance of men in industry.
- Words of Wisdom
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Need some solitude with feminist literature to guide your way? Look no further than the words of Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson, Ada Lovelace, Mary Shelley, Margaret Attwood, and the Bronte Sisters. Every genre under the sun has a feminist trailblazer you can rely on.
- Minimize Temptations
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Feeling like you can’t hold out? Take a few deep breaths and hit that “mute” button. Don’t stop there though. You also have “ignore”, “unfollow”, and “block.” This is an opportunity for you to get right with yourself, and somebody being dramatic about it won’t do anyone any good.
- Rely on Your Girls
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If things start to get hard, and you feel like slipping, you’ve got to rely on your girls to perservere. Together there is nothing you can’t accomplish!
It may seem like a dauntless task, but countless have gone through it before. E. Jean Carroll swears by it, and she may know best in this regard. We believe in you!