The Pink Myth: Micro-sexism in the workplace

As you read this, you may be thinking, “There is no sexism in my workplace! No male executives have ever asked a female subordinate to get a hotel room. There is no crude locker room humor; no all-male golf trips. No man has walked up to a woman and said, ‘I am not promoting you specifically because you are a woman.’ This isn’t Uber, for god’s sake.”

And hey, that’s great that none of that is happening. It is also extremely sad if you’ve defined lack of sexism so narrowly. There is much more to corporate sexism beyond sexual harassment and promotion discrimination. Here are just a few examples of these subtle sexisms.

Do these dangerous double standards contribute to sexism at your workplace?

Subtle Sexism #1: The Pink Myth. I was once in an interview for a job with a heavy email marketing component. As such, I showcased a very successful email marketing campaign I had done for a client that sold day planners for moms. The campaign was a great example of ROI: it cost $800 to produce and sold $25,347.

Needless to say, the male CEO interviewing me was dazzled by my scrappiness, my creativity, and my business acumen. I’m just kidding. He wasn’t. All he kept saying over and over is, “It’s very pink. Wow, it’s so pink.” Now, to be fair, I did get that job. But I couldn’t help feeling it was due to him magnanimously deciding to overlook my silly lady pink ways, and not because he was impressed with my killer returns.

Microsexism moral of the story: If it earns green, it can be pink…or purple…or fuschia, sparkly, and leopard print. Something can be both pink and professional–at the exact same time. For you to say otherwise is for you to lack business acumen, not me.

Subtle Sexism #2: The Pinterest Smirk. The Pinterest Smirk is another common form of subtle sexism. In recent years, as a Content Director, I have frequently pitched a move from more text-heavy content to more visual content, a la Pinterest. The second I mention Pinterest, or Instagram, or another site perceived as “female,” the tell-tale indulgent smirk pops up on many a C-Suite face. It is the smirk that says, “Look at this adorable lady with her adorable lady examples. Clearly, she has no head for business, but let’s indulge her little story.” This is wrong. It is wrong not only from a human rights perspective but also from a business perspective. As I’ve demonstrated in the example above, something can be feminine and successful. This applies to both ROI maxims or in this case, transferable learnings.

When I see the Pinterest Smirk rearing its head, I call it out. I will say something like, “I’m noticing a shift in the attitude in the room. Is it because I’m using a traditionally female site with a heavy female user base in a business context? If so, I’d like to remind everyone in this room that Pinterest is currently valued at 11 billion dollars. Who in this room would like to be valued at 11 billion dollars?”

If it is a big company with a similarly large valuation, I will say something like “Who in this room likes sales? Did you know that the female economy is projection to reach $18 trillion by 2018, according to Forbes magazine?” That’s trillion with a “t.” T as in Tahari. T as in Taylor Swift. T as in “try not to be so sexist or you will lose many business dollars.”

These speeches usually work, but the point is, why do I still have to make them in 2017?

Subtle Sexism #3: Mind your Metaphors. My final example of subtle sexism would be pop culture references. I once wrote a piece of copy that contained a Sex and the City reference. The audience was marketers, so one could assume it was a pretty even mix of men and women. My male CEO crossed it out and wrote “unprofessional.” This same CEO went on to make many masculine metaphors in business settings, such as comparing himself to X-Men Wolverine and likening the brutal nature of startups to TV’s The Deadliest Catch. Why is it that traditionally masculine metaphors are considered professional, but traditionally feminine metaphors are not? Why is it appropriate to liken business to wars, battles, and baseball games, but not dating, makeup, or pregnancy? Why it is ok to say we are in the “final inning” of closing a deal but not the “third trimester”?

Answer: it’s not. What I hope you’ve taken from this piece is that even if you and your fellow male executives are not luring female sales reps into your hotel room or paying them less on the dollar, you still have a long way to go to promoting a truly female-friendly workplace. Until you are truly successful in creating a diverse leadership team, you will not be truly successful in business.

I chose to address this post to male CEO’s because you are the ones that have the power to make change happen. For all the reasons I’ve outlined above and so many more, you need to make creating a more sensitive workplace a top priority in 2017. The future success of your business depends on it.

Author's Note: Although I’ve labeled these sexisms “subtle,” it is not an attempt to undermine their significance. It is merely an attempt to broaden our idea of sexism from The Big Three: paying someone less for being female, sexually harassing a female, or passing someone over for a promotion because they are female. The fact is, there is a whole world of subtle sexism beyond those three things, and they are no less painful, shaming, and detrimental to your business. If anything, their insidiousness may make them more so.

Article originally published on jademakana.com

As a Corporate Storyteller, Jade Makana has ten+ years of experience helping companies infuse their content marketing programs with more strategy, snap, and style. Her content has been linked in The New York Times, CNN Money, and InStyle Magazine. She loves writing, speaking, and thinking about content and developing talent. Learn more at jademakana.com.