Life

Why Are Women Always Labeled Too Something?

From too assertive to too sensitive, every woman has been assigned a label in her career. Here's how we can work to change that.

by Hannah Chambers

At some point, almost every woman is assigned a role in life that she never asked to play. There seems to be no escaping the fact that women will be labeled for their behavior (or rather, for their peers’ perception of their behavior), and there’s a way to be “too much” at every end of the spectrum. If you’re not too sensitive, you’re too aggressive. If you’re not too emotional, you’re too cold. If you’re not too assertive, you’re too much of a pushover. The list is never ending.

BDG Executive Editor of Health and Wellness Melissa Dahl recently sat down for a candid conversation with Olympic gymnast, Laurie Hernandez, to unpack the impact that these labels have. Laurie is all too familiar with the concept of assigned labels and has had to deal with them throughout her career. She’s been called a “snowflake,” or “too sensitive” for opening up about her struggles, and although this initially had a negative impact on her, she eventually found a way to challenge the narrative and thrive.

Laurie’s story is one of many that demonstrates that being unapologetically authentic and choosing to define yourself can be your most powerful tool. While critics had plenty of negative things to say about Laurie’s struggles, her story was groundbreaking for others who were facing the same issues. Anyone who could relate to Laurie’s story was better off hearing her truth, and the benefits worked both ways. Once Laurie began speaking out, she received an overwhelming amount of support, proving our best defense against the labels assigned to us is the ability to understand one another, and the first step in that process is to have open conversations.

Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex will be leading plenty more conversations like this in Archetypes, her Spotify Original podcast that investigates, dissects, and subverts the labels and tropes that hold women back. Archetypes will tap historians and cultural commentators to explain how we got here, interview notable women who were impacted by the labels assigned to them, and seek to unveil how we can chart a new path forward.

Listen to Archetypes now, only on Spotify.