Mindy Kaling is positioning herself to be the next Tina Fey. Acting, writing, publishing. Tina Fey was writing, acting, and moved on to producing – with Mean Girls, 30 Rock, and now the bestseller Bossypants, it’s plain to see Team Tina is building an empire in the shadows. Tina Fey is a great example of a power woman everyone likes. It seems the legacy of Oprah and Martha Stewart inspired a new trend in the pop culture of female entrepreneurship (a trend Tina Fey has spearheaded): “build quietly.”
Women have to be subtle. Like the characters Mindy Kaling wants to write in her romantic comedies (the “gorgeous klutz” or the adorable “ethereal weirdo”), women who are improbable and unassuming, so are these new women of ambition. You don’t create an empire accidentally.
It seems popular, effective, and accepted for women to build corporate kingdoms in a “Who, Me?” manner: Chelsea Handler slowly and nonchalantly taking over late night tv (3 shows?!), the silent and miniature Olsen twins with their JCPenney fashion line, Tina Fey dominating NBC and writing a bestseller. Now Mindy Kaling is following in Tina’s footsteps writing a hilarious and insightful book, and publishing articles that are even deemed worthy by The New Yorker.
Women have learned you get ahead as a woman by being a woman (re-watch an episode of West Wing to see Ainsley Hayes or dig up clips of the outrageous Sarah Palin to see a demonstration of the “I’m a likable, ambitious, and non-threatening woman” thing). Palin and Kaling are women who have learned from the reactions to strong and bold women á la Hillary Clinton, Oprah, and Martha Stewart. The new wave of female empire-builders saw how previous power women were perceived and framed as power-hungry, asexual, and too independent, and ultimately, not relatable. Not womanly.
The new empire builders are subtle; they only let us see the tip of the iceberg when it comes to their successes and growth and don’t flaunt it. They’re not threatening or intense. They’re quirky and “come by things honestly.” The question remains, have women learned how to have everything? Or are they settling?
What an excellent point you make as you don’t make it until the very end. “Have women learned to have everything? Or are they settling?” Your piece also seems to ask the question and, perhaps, even in it’s own subtle way, answers it: “Do women have to play unassuming klutzes to get ahead today?” And I think, in light of Oprah and Hillary, the answer is ‘no.’
Women and men may still react strongly to a strong woman, but all of these women present for us – ‘the powerful’ vs. ‘the likable’ – different options. We must take the path most natural to us, regardless of gender and must never fear success nor fear taking a path that may make us unpopular, bold, or controversial in that we don’t seem ‘ladylike’. We must not allow a term like ‘ladylike’ and ‘womanly’ to hold us back from being open, honest, and really… from being human. After all, perhaps Tina is laughing her way to the bank, but we also don’t see her in the boardroom where she may very well be just like Oprah or Hillary.
Thanks for making us think, Rose.
Well done.
Thank you for your thoughts, Layla – it is very interesting to see how women choose to walk the tightrope of power, glory, beauty/sexuality and success.
Very insightful, Rose! As women continue to break down barriers in the professional setting, you raise an interesting point. A powerful woman doesn’t have to be stereotypically dominating. The array of powerful women today using different strategies to build influence demonstrates that women (like men) can be leaders with varying personalities.
“No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.”
(Negative connotation of the Inquisition aside,) the unexpected impact of these “subtle” women is both incredible and inspiring. There is no formula to becoming a powerful leader–and these women are developing their own strategies to success.
This post really struck me. I think as a woman it’s easier on your public persona to take the unassuming role, but like Layla noted, it’s more important it’s not about gender as much as it is about personhood. While that resonates with me — I do think it is aspirational. If only it was about personhood and not about the ladylike way of doing things.