Welcome to my final post for Women’s History Month! This month is a celebration of women’s accomplishments, the significant personal and societal roles they have always played and how they inspire others today and throughout history. This month is meant to remind us of the achievements of women in our culture and society. It’s important to note that none of my posts are meant to minimize the role of men vs women in my life or business career. In fact, the most influential mentors that I have had in my career, were men who guided me and showed me that I could succeed in a field where women were the minority in leadership and ownership positions.
Late in Ruth Handler’s life and about 20 years after she was ousted from Mattel, they brought her back as a company spokesperson. Ruth reminded everyone that she was the creator of Barbie and told people that Barbie was made so girls could be free to imagine themselves as anything they wanted to be.
One of the absolute best parts of last year’s Barbie movie is Gloria’s speech when the Barbies are trying to take back Barbie Land from the Ken’s (they created a Kendom). Gloria is played by America Ferrera, and she gives a monologue about the complicated and difficult experience of being a woman in modern-day society. (According to reports she did somewhere between 30 and 50 runs of the monologue during her performance).
Here is that monologue…
It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow, we’re always doing it wrong.
You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people.
You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood.
But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful.
You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.
I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know. – America Ferrara as Gloria in the Barbie Movie
Barbie has always represented the fact that a woman has choices. This is a picture of me next to a move poster from the Barbie movie….it says “She’s everything. He’s just Ken”!
