Forbes Woman: Thanks but No Thanks

When I heard about the new Forbes Woman I was ecstatic; but then I actually read one of the articles. And then another. And another. Alas, my ecstasy waned.
Maybe it was because of “The Perfect Interview Outfit”, which informed me I should avoid looking “frumpy” if I want to find a job. Or it could have been because of the article “Cleaning Crew” that utilized a metaphor of women cleaning house to illustrate how women are cleaning up the economy- because apparently, I can’t understand the concept of the head of the FDIC calling for a halt on home foreclosures unless you tell me it’s like she “grabbed the mop.”
And then there was “Women’s Achilles Heel: The Vision Thing”, which informed me that women are great leaders; except it seems they lack vision. How do they know this? A survey measuring perceptions of female and male executives backed up by a few anecdotes. Since when did correlation become equal to causation? Newsflash: it didn’t. Cultural attitudes towards men and women differ greatly; I don’t think it would be out of line to say this probably played a role in the survey results. For example, when women exhibit the same behavior as men who are seen as confident or assertive, the women are often described as aggressive or bitchy. Perceptions are not isolated, objective observations- they are subjective, dynamic, and formed in a particular context.
And yet more disappointment followed with “Women Vs. Men: Handling Economic Stress” by Kiri Blakely. Blakely discusses what she terms econocide- suicide motivated by the economic collapse. She notes that recently four corporate big-wigs from around the world, all of whom were men, killed themselves after losing a whole lot of money. In explaining the gender difference in suicide rates Blakely writes “A big part of this discrepancy is that men use much more successful methods of suicide.” She quotes a psychotherapist to back up her story, “Women might make gestures that are not as strong, that are more a cry for help or attention.” Apparently, even when it comes to suicide, men are more successful and women are looking for attention.

While I’m not in a position to make a claim about the truth or falsity of what Blakely writes, I don’t think it takes a genius to see the phrasing is a little odd. Try this on for size; men use much more violent methods of suicide. Violent or successful, each phrase accurately describes the same phenomena- but each phrase has completely different connotations.
Later on in the article Blakely quotes a clinical psychologist stationed in Beverly Hills, who says her female clients, many of whom are chief executives, are more likely to “roll up their sleeves and become a cook somewhere or bake cookies and sell them–whatever needs to be done.” Seriously? Great news for all those female execs out there who have worked hard to get to the top- if you lose your job there’s no need to consider killing yourself- you know the difference between baking powder and baking soda!
I’m not just being glib. It’s important to note that women aren’t the only losers in the misogynistic equation. The fact is that the male archetype just isn’t a functional reality. When men are supposed to be the breadwinners, what happens when they’re not? When men are supposed to be strong and silent, how do they deal with weakness and stress? When men are supposed to be more qualified than women in the workforce, what happens when they’re not? When men are referred to as more “successful” in committing suicide but women can handle the economic downturn by knowing their way around the kitchen, cultural sexism isn’t just a hindrance to women. Our gender archetypes of the “knight in shining armor” and the “damsel in distress” are a detriment to men and women alike.
We have a cultural preference for a fictionalized version of gender reality. It might not be socially acceptable to come straight out and say women are less intelligent than men, women are less qualified than men, women should be dependent on men- but that doesn’t mean this isn’t the unspoken normative cultural attitude. Unfortunately, Forbes Woman seems to promoting this cultural misogyny at least as much (if not more) as it does gender equality and women’s interests. So to Forbes Woman I say thanks, but no thanks.