Violet nails

So yesterday I had my nails done in suffragette violet, as a bit of fun to celebrate the launch of the book. But then I was looking at them and I realized that this is the first time in 10 years that I have chosen an interesting nail colour and that I am usually very boring on this front - strictly a pink or french manicure girl. I used to be a lot more fun (in general by the way, not just on the nail front).

This got me thinking about why and I remembered that 10 years ago, when I was a Marketing Director, I showed up at work with my nails painted in mint green. I absolutely love this colour and I was made up with them. My boss, not so much - she was livid because we had a meeting with the CEO that day. She was proposing me for promotion and felt there was no way I would be taken seriously with minty green nails. It turned out that nail colour is an indicator of competence and leadership ability.

Isn’t this just fascinating. When I tell this story, many assume my boss was a man. In fact, it was a woman - and a very cool and smart one at that. But she believed, based on her experience, that I would be judged in an unfavourable way based on my appearance - and, to be honest, I can’t really say that she was wrong. We have such big, brilliant brains that are capable of such complex, nuanced thought and yet we still always look to simplify people (and especially women) down to one thing: beautiful or intelligent, attractive or competent, sexy or smart, mother or leader, trendy or professional, fun or focused. It really shouldn’t be difficult to understand that people can be more than one thing.

Sometimes the world tries to tell us that we can’t be ourselves if we want to be or achieve what we want to. In my case, it was about small things like what colour to paint my nails or what clothes to wear - I know it is more significant things for others. But whatever it is, we need to say no, this is bullshit and I don’t accept it: this is me and if you don’t like me this way, I will say farewell and take myself somewhere else.