CHAPTER 19: FINAL PINK FEMINIST THOUGHTS
An Excerpt from YOU HAVE ARRIVED
I found it appropriate to end our journey together
using the same rationale as we began, by talking about how pop culture and the
art of marketing has impacted my life and that of so many others for the
betterment of society. Unless you were living under a rock in the summer of
2023, you know that this was the summer of Barbie, and for me, the message of mind-twisting
female ideals brought to life through our favorite childhood icon couldn’t have
come at a better time. Back in April when Liz and I went to see the Indigo
Girls in concert and we got lost in the timeless harmonies of, Closer I Am
To Fine, I couldn’t have known that this song would be used in Barbie to
inspire a trip into the real world of self-actualization. But I find it
appropriate on so many levels that this was the song that Greta Gerwig chose
for the important and arduous task of transporting ideals into reality.
There were so many other parallels between Barbie’s journey of self-discovery and mine that I felt obligated to point them out for you in an effort to finalize my memoirs and leave you with a few final thoughts of wisdom. When Barbie wonders, and Billie Eilish serenades us with What Was I Made For? is a good example. We all feel like this sometimes. I know I certainly did when I hopped in my car and headed for the beach back in late March. What I had been made for was experiencing a full range of messy emotions and learning from it. I had to press pause in order to figure that out. I realized what I was made for when I looked through a lens of optimism, friendship, and introspection. By tuning into what the world needs from us, and what we are individually, uniquely equipped to give, only then can we offer our best talents and gifts to others. This is what we were made for.
Do men really rule the world? This is neither a yes nor no
answer. While Barbie marvels at how in the real world a construction site at
lunchtime is not the perfect source for female encouragement, it can be noted
that women have always held creative, supportive, and sometimes roles of
authority that have impacted society in positive ways. In fact, women have been
creating spaces, inspiring, and serving as the antagonists for ordinary men
to be successful since the beginning of time. Make no bones about it, women
have shaped and molded the world indirectly through their men since the dawn of
time. We may not have always held the highest titles; perhaps that of mother,
grandmother, sister, aunt, niece, wife, or daughter, but don’t think for a
minute that their contributions have not been pivotal… although great women of
history rarely got the credit they deserve.
Women have managed to control the patriarchy, at least somewhat
over the years. But even today if women have the same qualifications as men,
most companies choose to hire the man. It makes sense. Men don’t have PMS or
the need to take maternity leave, and they certainly have fewer emotional
outbursts. But what the patriarchy does not often consider is those emotional
and hormonal fluctuations that women experience. create pathways for empathy,
understanding, innovation, ingenuity, and ultimately, profitability.
Be real and be weird; be dark and crazy. Have the existential
crisis or even the nervous breakdown. Just be brave enough to be you. It’s so
good enough. We all need to compromise and embrace diversity to be the most
productive versions of ourselves so that we can lead the most competitive
companies and cultivate vibrant communities. Men should resist being defined by
patriarchal stereotypes and support their female colleagues’ contributions
because neither men nor women can do it on their own. We must work together to
reach our full potential.
Here is some fierce and final advice from me and Barbie to my
mermaids: you are smart, and thin, and pretty enough… I promise. Take the world
by the horns and start your business, take that long-delayed vacation, have the
adventure, go to the concert, and channel friendship and support from and for
one another in your personal and professional pursuits. We must push aside our
irrepressible thoughts of death and our insecurities about cellulite and just
rise above it and have fun together. Otherwise, what’s the point of working so
hard?
We were alone too long during COVID-19, and we got used to not
making eye contact with others. In isolating ourselves for our safety, we lost
our collective female community and the power that comes along with it. Find a
way to open up again and make fierce friendships with like-minded women. We
need one another.
The World Economic Forum published a white paper in May 2022 in
which it states its recommendations for bringing employers and workers back to
a “new normal” after the disruptions experienced over the last few years. My
ultimate challenge to you would be, don’t just fix what COVID-19 broke, but
instead, build your organization up better than it ever was before the
pandemic. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop a new vision for
the future of work in our country. Don’t miss out!
You have already taken the first step by reading this book and
helping me shine a light called empathy on the modern workforce. Now, you have
a once in a lifetime opportunity to change your own organization. It’s not
complicated. It just takes learning a few new things and asking for help from
someone who is qualified to help you devise a plan. You have come this far. Now
I challenge you to take the next step.
The Good Work Framework: A new business agenda for
the future of work aims to help companies
establish a new benchmark for job quality by providing a consistent and
goal-oriented approach to the development of comprehensive people strategies
and to guide measurable actions to promote good work.33
The framework sets out
five objectives and associated goals:
1.
Promote fair pay and social justice
2.
Provide flexibility and protection
1.
Deliver on health and well-being
2.
Drive diversity, equity, and inclusion
3.
Foster employability and learning culture.
This is your new roadmap.
Try not to get lost along the way.
Use your GPS and listen to your Small, Quiet Voice.
They will both keep you on track.
THE END
References: The Good Work Framework: A new
business agenda for the future of work. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21, 2024,
from World Economic Forum website: https://www.weforum.org/publications/
the-good-work-framework-a-new-business-agenda-for-the-future-of-work/. Barbie
the Movie. Directed by Greta Gerwig, Warner Bros. Pictures, 21 July 2023.
https://www.barbie-themovie.com/.
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