So a successful woman writes a book advising women they might take some responsibility for their own success. And all hell breaks loose in a storm of controversy, and "HOW DARE SHE!" outrage. And where is all this outrage coming from? Pretty much women.
HOW DARE SHE suggest women can be responsible for their own success? Which is really saying "How dare SHE take responsibility for her own success?" She's just LUCKY. And the rest of us are still victims who if we aren't lucky can't do anything. What a pack of bullshit coming mostly from other SUCCESSFUL women. Really I am ashamed for my sex.
"Lean in" I love that phrase. Lean into your opportunities. Women do tend to hold back. Sometimes it is for reasons of family and I think that's a good thing. I think men should do that more. But more often I think women hold back for lack of confidence, fear of claiming authority and most of all fear of not being "liked".
Nobody, not even Sandberg said there is not still sexism and barriers for women. But when those barriers are not there or soft and fluid, she is encouraging women to "lean in" and push back. YAY! I say.
There is another strand of criticism. She's just a privileged white woman talking to other white women. Yea and so are some of the women criticizing her. Successful white privileged writer Susan Fauldi wrote an article complaining that Sandberg left single mothers behind.
Where was all the criticism of Steve Jobs when he wrote motivational books that he didn't address ALL of the problems addressing women in the world? Oh, I see. The requirement that every book you write must address all the issues of oppressed women only applies to....women.
Seriously this not what women should be doing. We should not be attacking women for not addressing our particular issue. Women are allowed to be successful. In fact I think this attack on Sandberg for daring to suggest women can claim their own power is an example of that resistance to "leaning in" that she writes about.
Seriously ladies, if she didn't write about what you want ... LEAN IN AND WRITE YOUR OWN DAMNED BOOK!
Whooping with delighted agreement here. I'm old enough and have been in enough employment sectors(e.g., academia, government, private industry, non-profit, the church)to see exactly what she's writing about. As for people writing their own damn book, having just finished my 9th, I can say doing so requires leaning -- and shoving -- in!
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