Choosing a Side
Spreading like a wildfire over the internet lately has been Sheryl Sandberg’s “Ban Bossy” campaign. In case you’ve missed it, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO and author of the best-selling book, “Lean In,” has started a campaign aimed at banning the word ‘bossy’ as its negative connotation deters girls from becoming leaders in today’s society. Endorsers of the campaign include: The Girl Scouts of America, singer and actress Beyonce Knowles, “Glee” star Jane Lynch, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, actress Jennifer Garner, and countless others. From The Washington Post to Forbes, and everywhere in between, everyone seems to have an opinion on this highly controversial campaign. Headlines, such as, “Why I Won’t Ban Bossy,” “Ban ‘Bossy’? Suck it Up, Girls,” and “Ban Bossy: When Bad Ideas Happen to Smart People” are popping up all over the media. The viral video to promote this campaign titled “Ban Bossy—I’m Not Bossy, |
I’m the Boss” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dynbzMlCcw) has currently received over2,300,000 views on YouTube. Shockingly, this video was published to YouTube just over a month ago—if that’s not impressive, I don’t know what is.
So, why is this campaign causing such a stir? Some deem ‘bossy’ as a harmless word and see no reason in the need to ban it, while others see this campaign as a way to allow women to play the role of victims. Whatever the reason, this campaign has received an undeniably immense amount of negative feedback from websites, magazines, and the general public. On the contrary, there has also been some positive feedback. The campaign was intended to be used as motivation for young women, and some people see it as just that. You really have to look past the idea of simply banishing a word to truly understand the message behind this powerful campaign. |