A new campaign by Sheryl Sandberg and Anna Maria Chavezaims to ban the B-word (bossy) when talking about and to our little girls. The idea is that the world doesn't expect little girls to be leaders and for the most part, if a little girl or young lady asserts herself in any way she is referred to as "bossy". If she sticks up for herself or fights for an idea, she is "stubborn". Neither is meant as a compliment.
"Bossy" has always been a way to shame little girls into submission and it's been working. Most girls start trying to be seen and not heard by the time they reach middle school. Can you imagine feeling defeated by the time you hit puberty?
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Growing up Latina, I saw that there were very clear gender expectations and accepted roles. Men were in charge and women were subservient. I hated those rules. I've always hated the thought of someone else making the rules for my life. That is exactly why I always want to be the boss.
Women were expected to take care of the home, the children and their husbands. I don't think any of that is a bad thing to do but I do think it should be a woman's choice not a punishment. Anyways, all that being said, I was always called bossy by my dad with a smile and never chastised for it, so I never saw it as a put down.
I think Sheryl Sandberg and Anna Maria Chavez have their heart in the right place, but I think the campaign attacks a word. We need to attack the concept that girls can't be leaders. We need to change the way we look at the word. Bossy and stubborn should mean a strong leader willing to fight for what she believes in; to never give up and who can achieve anything she sets her mind to.
We need to encourage our girls to own who they are and fight for what they want, not quit because some boy thinks it's not her place to be the boss. We need to teach our little girls to hold their heads up high and be proud of their talents, intelligence and abilities. Stop calling your girls "bossy" if you feel like it's an insult but personally, I take it as a compliment because I know that bossy means leader.
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