Bossy has become a pretty loaded word since Sheryl Sandberg launched the ‘ban bossy’ campaign. Every day there seems to be another celebrity wanting to completely get rid of it, while somebody else tries to reclaim it – it’s become tricky to work out what we’re supposed to think.
But these young girls don’t have the same problem since they know exactly what ‘bossy’ means – and they’re owning it. Women’s media platform She Knows yesterday launched an alternative to Ban Bossy called #BossyIs, and they want to equip young girls with the tools to overcome any prejudice that might stand in the way of their goals.
As part of the campaign, video makers asked some primary school-aged children from St Ann’s School in Brooklyn what they thought of the word ‘bossy’, and they came up with some of the clearest answers we’ve heard since Sandberg launched her campaign. One (amazing) girl said, ‘I’m not bossy, but I’m the boss.’ (Which is so cool, it almost sounds like a James Brown lyric.) Another said, ‘Being bossy has nothing to do with being a boy or a girl.’ (Damn right, sister.)
It also seems like the girls had a good idea of people’s misconceptions of how women should behave in leadership roles, with one girl noticing that ‘sometimes, when you’re trying to lead something, people think you’re bossy when you’re really just trying to lead things.’
Samantha Skey, CMO of SheKnows told Mashable, ‘We were inspired by the Ban Bossy campaign, but felt that much of the discourse focused on the concept of a word ban, rather than focusing on the core mission of empowering girls. We hope to pick up the mantel and engage parents, kids, educators and the media in the discussion of language and leadership among young girls.’
Check out the video below, you might just learn something.
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophiecullinane
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.