Be more dog

Do you want to be more dog? like the O2 advert ask you to be.  Do you want to be more Fish? Eagle?  or even, do you want to be more Male?

What does it really matter what you are, as long as you are happy.  The concern is that the corporate world demands a woman to be more man, but still be feminine.  Research and Investigation has shown that women who wear make-up are perceived as more employable, and more competent than those that don’t.  One of my earlier blog posts, Who know the bear could dance?, by Kate Gowers talks about this very issue when she talks about a female co-worker who is being interviewed and the story talks about what she wore, what she looked like and there was very little about her career achievements.  The though of discussing, this concept seemed secondary to  her physical appearance.

So can we solve this problem? How do we change it? Can it be changed?

Society changes all the time, and it’s easy to point the blame at the opposite sex or to not take ownership of the problem. But how much of that blame really sits with ourselves.  How many of us feel ‘naked’ if we leave the house without make up? how many of us have used our sexuality to manipulate the opposite sex into getting what we want?  how many of us have played up to stereotypes to massage egos?  We are all guilty of these behaviours to a greater or lesser degree.

I am not saying there is not a problem with this if that is what you wish to do, but surely this dilutes who you are, your own self-worth and our own sense of quality.  I am not also saying that we should be more man, but maybe what we should be doing is leaning in, standing up, and being accounted for. Sheryl Sandberg describes this phenomena well in her working philosophy of Lean In.  This isn’t about sacrificing our self-worth, and who we are.  It is not about becoming more man.  It is about taking who are and placing it firmly in the board room.  It’s about sitting in with the men and challenging their concepts.  It is about working with them, not against them.  It’s about changing what we find acceptable and educating those around us to this too.  Making them aware that wearing make-up doesn’t make someone brighter, smarter or more capable of a job.  What this does, is make someone ‘eye-candy’ and therefore they are more recognisable for the job and the work they do.  Should women still be exposed to this unconscious in the 21st Century?

So I go back to my question at the beginning of this blog.  Do you want to be more Dog?  Do you want to be more Male? or Do you want to be more You?

Only you can make that decision, and only you can make that change.