Bossy

This morning, a friend of mine from school posted this article on Facebook.

It went into detail about everyday sexism and prompted girls to ask guys the same kinds of questions that they are asked, using #questionsformen in their tweets.

I thought it was interesting, especially when I got to a tweet from @erinrileyau:

"If you take a leadership position, do you worry about being seen as bossy? Are you called bossy? #questions for men"

While I thought all of the other tweets fell into the category of casual sexism outright, this one threw me off a little bit. My boyfriend's roommate recently told me that I was bossy, and it bothered me. I felt insulted, and I wasn't really sure why.

Ever since I was three years old, I've been called bossy by everyone under the sun. At this point in my life, I know it's just part of my personality, but I also know that I have a successful talent of getting things done (both on-time and properly).

But back then, every time someone told me I was bossy, I would feel bad. Like, it wasn't okay to want to take charge and make things happen. It wasn't okay for a little girl to have such a strong desire to lead, or take every opportunity that she saw. 

Being bossy is bad.

Wanting to be in charge is bad.

Wanting more responsibility is bad.

Being a bossy little girl is bad.

How is that okay?

I don't remember hearing comments about little boys being bossy. But aside from that, why is it a bad thing to be productive and eager? Why is it bad to be vocal about those things as well?

Is it because I'm a girl? Would it still be like this if I were a boy?

Or is it because anyone who shows even the slightest interest in being a leader needs to fit a certain mold in order to be taken seriously?

WTF?

Thank goodness for Sheryl Sandberg.

I had no idea that I'd been experiencing this form of casual sexism my entire life, and it's time to put a stop to it.

To my Boyfriend's Roommate:

I'm not bossy. I'm smart, productive, and have a systematic and successful way of doing things. I exercise my ability to think for myself on a daily basis, and have been doing just fine for the last 25 years. Who are you to mock my strengths and label it with a word that belittles me? Why is it okay for you to be the same things and not be labeled like that? Well, it's not.

Find a better word, otherwise your future daughters might grow up feeling the same way. They deserve better.

Strong girls everywhere deserve better.

#banbossy