Women are stingy and it’s killing our professional lives
“What bothers me is that a woman could never do what he does,” said one of my female CEO friends. “Imagine if a woman manager took a selfie every morning as she was leaving the house,” she added, demonstrating some of the poses that are regularly displayed on the pages of one of the top social media guys in our industry.
I had never thought about it, but it was obvious. A woman CEO who did that kind of thing would be looked at totally differently than he is. His selfies seem perfectly decent and often humorous and friendly. If it were a woman doing the exact same thing, it would look provocative, self-centered and possibly degrading. (It’s definitely self-serving and somewhat egotistical for either gender, but for women—potentially damaging in a way that it isn’t for men.)
With that in mind, I thought I’d write the girls guide for selfies for professional women. Here it is:
- Don’t post selfies
It’s pretty simple. It’s OK to post selfies at a business meeting or with other business people, or if the background is particularly interesting. Otherwise, any selfie you post will certainly be misconstrued and/or you will be accused of being self-centered, which is apparently OK in an executive man but unacceptable for an executive woman.
What do you think? Are women judged differently than men when they post selfies? In what instances can women professionals post selfies?
About the author
Rebecca Rachmany is the CEO of Gangly Sister. As a high-tech entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience, Rebecca is a partner in the Microsoft Ventures Azure R&D Accelerator. She has served over 100 high-tech companies and startups in their marketing efforts.
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