As women continue to break into traditionally masculine professions and defend their right to exist in unsafe spaces, the rest of us have a responsibility to do more than cheer them from the sidelines. We should also make clear that we understand this work is hard, that it often takes an emotional toll, that there are no easy answers, and that, when they acknowledge their feelings and admit their struggles, they’re all the more badass for it. This wouldn’t just help women with challenging jobs or in dangerous situations. It would also benefit men who have long been expected to bury their emotional responses and carry on as if they are unaffected by trauma. It’s not “badass” to survive a horrible situation without shedding a single tear. The real badass move … is to fearlessly acknowledge how something has affected you and make space for others to do the same.
On Being a Badass – absolutely fantastic piece by Ann Friedman on “how tempting it is to fall into gendered, old-school definitions of toughness,” using the memoirs of two tough female conflict-zone journalists as the springboard for a broader meditation. Well worth reading.
More than a century ago, pioneering Victorian journalist Nellie Bly actually demonstrated how to be a badass without succumbing to narrow definitions.
(via explore-blog)
