We interrupt this regulary scheduled link up for an important message: It's ok not to be perfect!
I had lunch with my aunt yesterday and she brought me an article from last week's Newsweek. The article is written by a former Harvard Business school professor, and current president of Barnard University. Debora Soar wrote: Why Women Should Stop Trying to be Perfect.
Powerful. Insightful. Right. As a 29-year old married, professional woman I have felt the pressure to do it all and do it all perfectly on my own. How many times do we stress about being the perfect mom, wife, sister, daughter, career woman? And how often do we stress about doing this all with perfectly coiffed hair, pristine manicure, and dressed to the 9's? But who's to blame? Media, men, ourselves?
I agree that women still struggle to make it in a man's world. We make $.77 to their $1, we head less companies, lead fewer firms, and have yet to become President. We still reach high, but inevitably hit the glass ceiling. Yet, we are worried about taking the mommy-track, ostracized for missing recitals, plays, and the like, other women bully us for not taking enough time off for maternity leave (hello anchor on channel 4 this morning who said Yahoo CEO should take more than 2 week because "she can afford it") I mean, come on! Support one another. Champion women. What happened to good old-fashioned commraderie amonsgt women? The quilting bee, the neighborhood carpool, the coffee klatch?
The point is: we cannot do it all, and its ok. (Think Sarah Jessica Parker in that movie whose name escapes me at the moment). We don't have to choose between career and family, but we do not have to put such pressure on ourselves to do all of it perfectly.
Read the article. Comment. But get the message out there. As women we need to support each other and stop teaching our daughters that you have to be Everything-Barbie.
:) I wrote about this exact topic just yesterday! Amennnnn to not being Barbie, or perfect. But really, even Barbie isn't perfect - have you seen the mock up of what she would look like as a human? Gross!
ReplyDeleteSo so true! In a world of bloggers and facebook and pinterest perfect it's hard to not WANT to feel perfect!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding us!
"I Don't Know How She Does It."
ReplyDeleteL-O-V-E that movie.
And I'm in the same spot. Pressured to get married and have babies, but also to be the ball-busting lawyer I've trained myself to be. Where's the happy medium?
I just watched that movie on Wednesday! And loved it. The article is so right - expectations of perfection on women have gotten out of control. Honestly, I have learned to be okay with the fact that though. As women, we can't have it all - at least all at the same time. It's just not possible, and it makes it SO hard on the women who try. Something has to give. There will be sacrifices that have to be made. If we women could just accept that, stop putting so much pressure on ourselves and start asking for help more often - particularly from our husbands, family and friends, I think we would all be less stressed and a lot happier:)
ReplyDeleteYou know that I'm all about the support! I agree with every point, and when it comes down to it...society isn't going to consider us "equal" until WE consider each other equal. We all make the world go 'round ;)
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