Ban Bossy

"PUSHY, STUBBORN, BOSSY"

These words are thrown out by a number of familiar faces at the start of this video in the recent campaign to #BanBossy. This video caught my attention because of the unique mix of public figures presented. I really appreciated that there was a myriad of really great role models, from celebrities to politicians to organizational leaders, represented in the video. It shows strong, powerful women standing up for young girls and urging us to think about the implications of our words. I think that showing these women as a means to deliver their message is an excellent tool. As Judith Butler notes, gender is an imitation of an imitation, and there is no right way to perform. Imitating these women encourages young girls to be strong. 

As I mentioned in the previous post, words carry a lot of meaning and our understanding of words is a social construction. The negative connotation attached to words such as pushy, stubborn and bossy discourage girls from raising their voices. The #BanBossy campaign is designed to encourage girls to lead and not shy away from leadership positions. It highlights the fact that girls are labelled (especially using the term "bossy") when they assert themselves while a boy doing the same would be encouraged and deemed a "leader." This labeling of children that starts at a young age serves to reinforce the gender stereotypes that exist in our society today. It forces children to view themselves and their actions in terms of what is considered gender appropriate behaviour. 

Labeling children based on their personalities suggests a lot about how their gender and sexuality should be expressed. When young children are deemed certain qualities or characteristics based on their actions, they are likely going to react to and reflect these.  The underlying message each time a young girl is called bossy is that they should be passive, gentle, and submissive if they want to be considered feminine. On the contrary, boys are encouraged to be aggressive, speak their minds and take charge in order to exhibit their masculinity. These idealized genders are a social construction and we need to begin deconstructing them and looking at where power is situated in order to make a change. Gender is only what we construct it to be and if society can begin to acknowledge the power that adults and their words have on children, we can begin shifting these dated ideals of gender. Learn more about #BanBossy here.