According to this article from The Atlantic, the PR field is nearly two-thirds female. I’m lucky to work in an industry dominated by intelligent, passionate and creative women (#GirlPower), but reflecting on the impact on gender disparities outside of my PR bubble still be discouraging – especially the fact that women working full time in the United States typically are paid just 79 percent of what men are paid.
There’s no doubt that it can be tough out there for a woman trying to make it in a man’s world. Nonetheless, modern day society is full of empowering and successful women who we can admire and learn from, and luckily many of them have written memoirs sharing how they overcame the obstacles that modern businesswomen frequently face. Here are a few of my favorites…
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Yes Please by Amy Poehler:
Hilarious and heartfelt, this inspiring memoir is just as amazing as Amy Poehler herself, who as we all know is God’s gift to earth. Trust me on this one – go get yourself a copy.
Notable excerpts: “You have to care about your work but not about the result. You have to care about how good you are and how good you feel, but not about how good people think you are or how good people think you look… Treat your career like a bad boyfriend. It likes it when you don’t depend on it. It will chase you if you act like other things (passion, friendship, family, longevity) are more important to you.”
“Saying ‘yes’ doesn’t mean I don’t know how to say no and saying ‘please’ doesn’t mean I am waiting for permission.”
“It takes years as a woman to unlearn what you have been taught to be sorry for. It takes years to find your voice and your real estate.”
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Bossypants by Tina Fey:
Tina Fey is universally adored for a reason, and her memoir is just as witty and smart as the comedic writing she’s famous for. More often than not, “bossy” is a negative word assigned to strong women, and ultimately this book tells women it’s okay to be “bossy,” it’s okay to be vocal, and it’s okay to unabashedly go after what you want.
Notable excerpts: “So, my unsolicited advice to women in the workplace is this. When faced with sexism, or ageism, or lookism, or even really aggressive Buddhism, ask yourself the following question: ‘Is this person in between me and what I want to do?’ If the answer is no, ignore it and move on. Your energy is better used doing your work and outpacing people that way. Then, when you’re in charge, don’t hire the people who were jerky to you.”
“This is what I tell young women who ask me for career advice. People are going to try to trick you. To make you feel that you are in competition with one another. ‘You’re up for a promotion. If they go for a woman, it’ll be between you and Barbara.’ Don’t be fooled. You’re not in competition with other women. You’re in competition with everyone.”
“Don’t waste your energy trying to educate or change opinions; go over, under, through, and opinions will change organically when you’re the boss. Or they won’t. Who cares? Do your thing, and don’t care if they like it.”
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#GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso:
Sophia Amoruso went from a “broke and directionless” twenty-two year old to the founder, CEO and creative director of online fashion retailer Nasty Gal, which rakes in more than $100 million in sales annually, all in less than 10 years. Wanna know how she did it? Then read this, and prepare to be inspired.
Notable excerpts: “You don’t get taken seriously by asking someone to take you seriously. You’ve got to show up and own it. If this is a man’s world, who cares? I’m still really glad to be a girl in it.”
“Even with no manager watching to give me a gold star, it was important to do my best. Who cares if a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it? The tree still falls. If you believe that what you’re doing will have positive results, it will—even if it’s not immediately obvious. When you hold yourself to the same standard in your work that you do as a friend, girlfriend, student, or otherwise, it pays off.”
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What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love by Carole Radziwill:
Carole’s story of leaving her small hometown at 19 to build a journalism career in one of the most competitive cities in the world is truly compelling and inspiring, as is her ability to rebuild herself after the devastating deaths of her husband Anthony, John F. Kennedy Jr. (Anthony’s cousin), and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Carole’s closest friend. Oprah Winfrey called the book “Stunning,” and if Oprah recommends it, you know it’s worth a read.
Notable excerpts: “I notice that my trump cards aren’t really interesting to anyone. I’m not a former model. I don’t have a famous uncle or step-uncle or ex-lover. I can’t speak in the shorthand of boarding schools. And in this way, I reveal myself. Opinions are sealed without my knowledge. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been to the Gulf War, filmed two documentaries, and it won’t matter if I go to the Angkor War, with or without an Emmy…”
“I start in November 1986 on the bottom rung and my strategy is simple: now that my foot is in the door, I will not take it out. I interviewed a politician once who defined relentless as the ability to come back, time and time again, until your opponent gives up his will to resist. I am relentless.”
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Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham:
In typical Lena Dunham fashion, this book is undoubtedly “fiercely candid,” with a handful of stories that might make the average reader a bit squeamish. However, when it’s good, it’s really good, particularly when Dunham shares anecdotes about the sexism she has encountered working in Hollywood and how she nonetheless tackled the prevalent inequality in the TV and film industry to become one of today’s leading writers, producers and actresses – all before she turned 30.
Notable excerpts: “There is nothing gutsier to me than a person announcing that their story is one that deserves to be told, especially if that person is a woman. As hard as we have worked and as far as we have come, there are still so many forces conspiring to tell women that our concerns are petty, our opinions aren’t needed, that we lack the gravitas necessary for our stories to matter. That personal writing by women is no more than an exercise in vanity and that we should appreciate this new world for women, sit down, and shut up.”
“Respect isn’t something you command through intimidation and intellectual bullying. It’s something you build through a long life of treating people how you want to be treated.”
