If you haven’t already heard the latest buzz, it’s Lenny Letter – the fun, fem newsletter curated by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner. An interview with Hillary Clinton kicked it off, and it’s already been a huge hit.
Its next viral moment? Jennifer Lawrence wrote an essay in the third newsletter titled, “Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars?” The hilarious and blunt J-Law gets personal in speaking about her experience learning how much less she got paid in comparison to her male counterparts after the Sony hack.
Here are three great quotes from her essay:
On not wanting to seem entitled by asking for more: “I would be lying if I didn’t say there was an element of wanting to be liked that influenced my decision to close the deal without a real fight. I didn’t want to seem ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.’ At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn’t worry about being ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.’ This could be a young-person thing. It could be a personality thing. I’m sure it’s both.”
On the way women are viewed if they given an opinion: “A few weeks ago at work, I spoke my mind and gave my opinion in a clear and no-bullshit way; no aggression, just blunt. The man I was working with (actually, he was working for me) said, ‘Whoa! We’re all on the same team here!’ As if I was yelling at him. I was so shocked because nothing that I said was personal, offensive, or, to be honest, wrong. All I hear and see all day are men speaking their opinions, and I give mine in the same exact manner, and you would have thought I had said something offensive.”
On how women are socialized to act: “I’m over trying to find the ‘adorable’ way to state my opinion and still be likable! F*** that. I don’t think I’ve ever worked for a man in charge who spent time contemplating what angle he should use to have his voice heard.”
She’s honest about the fact that perhaps this discrepancy has nothing to do with the fact that she’s a woman. Then again, the wage gap exists. So does this inherent feeling of not wanting confidence or opinions to come off as “bratty,” “bitchy,” or “difficult.” Lawrence relays this challenge that many women face in the workplace and beyond. We are still stuck in a culturally confined society that views women’s ferocity and confidence as something different than what it truly is – strength.
Cover image courtesy of Vulture.
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