Dear Fellow Strong Women:
I went to see “Little Women” with a group of ladies from a professional organization to which I belong.
Despite my love of reading and being an English major for one of my undergraduate degrees, I have never read the book.
(I’ll pause for a collective gasp.)
It’s probably because I was expected to read it as I was named after Beth March. Yeah, the quiet one. Haha!
I know of it, of course. And I’m sure I’d like it as much as Joey did when he read it.
Usually, I read the book then see the movie. I’m that kind of person. (The only movie that is better than the book, IMHO, is “Misery.”)
Anyway, I thought Greta Gerwig’s creation was spectacular. I laughed. I cried. It was better than “Cats.”
At one point, Amy says she is going to be an “ornament to society,” and I was reminded of something that happened at the weekly meeting of this professional group earlier in the day.
The group is mostly older white men. (Typical.)
The leaders of the membership committee solicited ideas for increasing membership via distributing selected topics at each table. My table had the topic of how to increase membership among women.
The oldest dude (about 90 and deaf) at a table of four men and four women actually said this:
Their husbands are working 8-10 hours a day bringing home the bacon. It shouldn’t be too hard to recruit more women as their schedules are more flexible.
Right.
And there was silence.
Now, I’m a brand-new member of this group. I didn’t feel comfortable barking at this man that I work 8-10 hours a day bringing home the bacon. Instead, I got up to get coffee from the coffee table.
A woman who is a past president of the group was sitting next to him. She looked properly mortified. I don’t know if she said something to him privately later. I’m going to ask her at the next meeting.
When I shared this anecdote with my boss, who is a former member of this group (and an older white male, it should be noted), he also was mortified.
But he asked a crucial question:
He wouldn’t have said something like that about an ethnic minority group or the LBGTQ community. Why did he feel it was OK to share outdated views of women?
Why indeed.
It’s time to stop being “ornaments to society.” How do we do that? What should I have done? What about the other women at the table? What should I do now?
Please share your thoughts.
And go see “Little Women” whether you have read the book or not.
“The world is hard on ambitious girls.” That’s right, Amy.
Yours in solidarity,
Beth
Observe and report 