What better way to kick butt than by leaning in? The Lean In campaign was started by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, after she wrote a book called Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. The basic premise of the book is about encouraging women to lean in to their full potential as opposed to leaning back. Leaning In is kicking butt; it’s about decreasing the gender gap, making choices for ourselves as women, and standing up to sexism.
At my university, we have our own Lean In Circle. We meet regularly to share stories as female leaders, discuss our strengths and support each other’s goals. We always leave our meetings feeling inspired, positive and ready to kick butt until we meet again! I decided to join Sylvie, the president of our Lean In circle, in discussing kicking butt and leaning in.
1. For those who don’t have Lean In Circles, how would you recommend they get inspired to “kick butt?” (“kick butt” – combat the gender gap, sexism, lack of confidence, dealing with stress etc.)
Sylvie: The first step to “kicking butt” is getting rid of the “not good enough” attitude. I’m not saying that you should do a 360 and think you’re the greatest person alive, but you need to believe in yourself. We’re great at tearing ourselves down, but this attitude won’t help us get ahead. There’s nothing cooler than a woman who trusts herself and speaks up when she has something important to say!
Clivane: Find something that grinds your gears. Seriously. Is it men harassing you as you walk down the street? Are you passionate about promoting consent and eliminating rape culture on post-secondary campuses? Take that issue and make it your cause. Do something once a day (or once a week) to help change it—whether it be speaking up and educating others, sharing a status or blog post, or even starting a club. Fellow kick butt feminists are never far away, and they will inspire and support you!
2. This is an excerpt from an online article, please tell me if you agree or disagree: “The problem with “lean in” feminism: It puts the burden on individual women — even, in this case, pressuring them to do things they don’t actually want to do — to change a status quo that, in reality, is upheld by systemic inequalities that all the “leaning in” in the world can’t fix on their own.”
Sylvie: I disagree. Personally, I don’t think “lean in” feminism pressures women to do things they don’t want to do. I actually see it as the complete reverse. I believe the whole movement promotes choice for women. It teaches women that they have choices and that they should stop apologizing for whatever path they choose. If a woman loves work and doesn’t want to be a stay-at-home mom than that’s her prerogative and society should be cheering her on. Instead, if she wants to leave work and stay home with the kids then power to her! Lean In is shaking up the status quo by encouraging women to do what they want and not what they’re told to do.
Clivane: I disagree. “Lean In” feminism doesn’t demand that every woman have an objective of becoming CEO and it shouldn’t burden women to do what they don’t want to do. Lean In encourages women to make their own choices. And it encourages them to make those choices not out of fear or lack of confidence, but out of self-awareness and empowerment. Personally, Lean In has inspired me to kick butt professionally as a woman of colour. I don’t feel pressured to succeed as a black woman, but rather inspired and encouraged. A friend asked me recently to run for campus director in my school’s student union elections. I hate politics, so I declined even though he was adamant I would make an ideal candidate. Like Jessica Williams in the article, if I choose not to do something because I have no interest or I am underqualified, it doesn’t mean that I underestimating my own abilities nor does it mean that I am leaning back.
Images:
http://www.bradfordhines.com/Images/lean-in-post.jpg
http://www.wix.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/lean-in4.jpg
