Rethinking Gender Labels Like "Lady Boss"

Female Founder. She-EO. WomEntreprenuer. Gender signifiers have never been so popular--and commodified. There are "lady boss" candles, tee shirts, key chains and energy shakes sold on Amazon. Energy shakes! But one woman, Quilt-founder Ashley Sumner, recently rebelled against the trend when she posted, "I am a female founder" to LinkedIn and then crossed out "female." (See the post here.) Her point? Leaning into a gender label siloed her to the womens' section. "I worry that it allows investors to see founders who are women as a separate class from the rest of the founders,” she told The New York Times.

That's a valid concern because in 2018, the average loan size for women founders was 31% lower than it was for male founders; women-owned firms received only 4.75% of federal contracts in 2018 too. (Hello, systemic sexism.) Over a decade ago, I wrote this article about how gender distinctions and power women events in Hollywood weren't creating more opportunities for female directors, writers and execs. Still, I now see value in distinguishing yourself as a female-owned entity so women like me can support you. This is a tricky debate. Let's discuss on the Pretty Ripe Insta.

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