While watching Miss Sloane, a movie about a female lobbyist played by Jessica Chastain, I found myself intrigued by the wardrobe choices. The character is a powerhouse of a woman can command a room full of men at any moment, yet in many of the scenes we see the actress wearing suits. I began to ponder on powerful women in male-dominated spaces seeming to trade their femininity for these men’s respect. Yet this seems to be changing with a new generation of women entering these spaces. To explore this, let’s look at four grand female figures: Simone de Beauvoir, Mary Barra, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Simone de Beauvoir:
- We can’t talk about these amazing women taking the world by storm without first looking back at the women who paved their way. Simone de Beauvoir was one such woman. Born in France in 1908, Simone would go on to be a loud female activist, writer, and philosopher in her own right. She wrote in the same period as the famous Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud during a time when men almost completely capitalized on the field of philosophic writing. Simone was often photographed coopting men’s fashion for women’s taste, taking suit jackets and ties and pairing them with maxi skirts and head scarves. She was unapologetic about being a woman and made her presence known while keeping hold of her femininity.Â
Mary Barra
- Now that we’ve paid homage to our foremothers, we can look to our present times. Mary Barra is the quintessential girl boss. The legend was the first female CEO of General Motors, which is one of the largest automakers in the world. She was instrumental in the wave of women in the boardroom and has continued to lead General Motors into the future. That being said, the CEO is rarely photographed outside a pantsuit with minimal makeup. The CEO additionally received massive praise for the company dress code she created, “Dress appropriately.” This wider policy allows more freedom for women to wear more feminine styles in a professional setting.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
- SCOTUS is comprised of four women all of whom deserve to be spoken about in this context. That being said I feel a particular need to speak on the newest addition, Ketanji Brown Jackson. This amazing woman graduated with a law degree from Harvard and has worked her way up appointment after appointment all the way to the Supreme Court. The justice seems to be influenced, consciously or unconsciously, by her foremothers as she mixes the pantsuit style with her feminine flair of bright colors and gorgeous prints as well as beautifully styled makeup. Justice Jackson owns her femininity similarly to Beauvoir.Â
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
- Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, or AOC, is an exception to the rule. Hailing from The Bronx in New York, AOC is a US Congresswoman and is often referred to as a member of “The Squad”. The Squad is a group of congresswomen who fight for progressive values and make their voices heard. The congresswoman demonstrated how women are treated back in 2021 when she wore a dress to the MET Gala with the phrase, “Tax the Rich,” scrawled in red. She received a truly staggering amount of backlash for the look. She additionally was insulted by her colleague Ted Yoho when he called her a “fucking bitch,” on the steps of the Capitol. AOC wields her femininity as a weapon instead of letting men strip it away.Â
After taking a look at all these incredible women, a pattern begins to emerge of women using their femininity to fly in the face of the men who attempt to belittle them. While it is not always the case that outwardly expressing femininity is necessary to be a woman, it is often looked down upon in male-dominated spaces, which is why women expressing even just a small amount can have such a huge impact.