Editorials

07/15/15

A Letter to My Daughter (About Her Two Last Names)

I’d like to write this letter to my sweet baby Ginny regarding her very special string of names. As you may or may not know, I kept my last name after marriage. Changing my name was not an option for me; I view the tradition as very archaic and incompatible with my beliefs, and though it definitely works for other families, it did not sit well with me; therefore, I could not make such an important change out of convenience to society. Even after two years of marriage, I still get the confused looks, eye rolls, or comments about how I’m “one of ‘those’ feminists.” But that’s for another time and day.

This letter is to explain to perfect little Ginny why she has two last names.

*Below are some family pictures, including both namesake “Virginias,” grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

05/12/15

The Power of Hello

Hello.

Wow. See how easy that was? One little word. Five little letters. Try it yourself out loud- say it with me now- hello (you didn’t actually do it, did you? Say it now!).

I get it, we’re all busy. I’m a working first-time mom who practically loses my glasses when they’re on my face. The few times I’ve had the opportunity to leave the house for a non-work/non doctor’s appointment outing (I think there have been three times so far…), I’m disheveled and feeling out of sorts being detached from my 3.5 month old barnacle. Generally sporting a “natural” look without makeup, letting my not quite straight not quite curly but quite unmanageable hair do its thing, you will most likely catch me in a moment where even if you were my best friend, I would want to avoid you to avoid embarrassment.

Side note: I love that today’s generation of models are becoming very prominent household names off the runway. Ah, to be 20 and gallivanting the social scene with Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Cara Delevingne, fresh faced and looking super cool with their effortless style. I, however, look like a sallow, untamed monster when going au naturel. This is not my look, and if you look pretty this way, congratulations. I truly mean it.

 

10/16/14

Boys Club: No Girls Allowed

Where do women fit into a male-dominated workplace?

I have been reading various articles of female discrimination in the workplace and couldn’t figure out how to best capture these stories and summarize them all for you. They are such personal, compelling, maddening stories and I feared I wouldn’t be able to properly capture each lady’s tales. After toying with the idea of telling my own story for quite some time, I decided honesty and full disclosure is the best policy. My story may not run as deep or be as severe as many of the articles I read, but it my own. I hesitated to write about my struggles in a past workplace that I truly loved so many things about; I learned a lot about myself, developed strong professional and personal relationships, and had opportunities to showcase my professional abilities. This workplace also became my family. That being said, I’ll share some of the challenges I faced that perhaps shows subtleties of gender discrimination against women. Am I being too sensitive and complaining, or did I have a legitimate reason to feel ostracized? You decide.