That’s it. That’s the story.
To add, on this day as we come face to face with the leadership we have chosen, I recall the rejection of the “conniving” leaders of yore.
Take a cursory look at google for the word “conniving” and the word “woman” appears more than once but perhaps not less than a hundred.
The idea of the clever, shifty woman seems seared in our mind and perception.
Why do we have this bias? Ask your therapist, or perhaps Freud, but I’d surmise the answer stems from our childhood or formative experience. Having to do with women who had power over us in ways we didn’t always want or like. Ahem..ahem….(I didn’t say mommy issues — you did!)
I’ve made this political, because I wanted you to be glad you clicked.
But really, it’s personal. (I hope you’re still glad you clicked.)
As a black woman, I’ve had the honor of being perceived as conniving. (And hilariously have, at the same time, faced criticism that I “didn’t have a plan.”) A nothing filled in with a something. A blank space colored with a negative assumption.
We all know examples of this from recent history. We bemoaned, in retrospect. We now see. The leadership we were stuck with. What could have been. What could have NOT been.
And yet, we continue.
So the next time you perceive of a woman as being conniving, perhaps ask yourself the question: Is she conniving or am I just, I don’t know, sexist?
That’s it. That’s the story.
Michele writes on several topics, including career and bias. For more writings, ideas, and inspiration, check out her Patreon page here.
