“Recently, Stacey Abrams said to an audience in California: “I’m not going to change my hair, my skin color, my gender to win this election. And there’s no amount of Jenny Craig that’s going to solve anything in six weeks.”
It was her way of saying, sorry folks, but I am not going to alter one single iota of who I am to fit your mold. I may not be your “perfect” candidate — but I am “frustratingly” myself.
Her words stopped me dead in my tracks. But why?
Since giving a TED Talk on the socially ingrained bravery gap between girls and boys, I’ve been on a nationwide crusade against the perils of perfectionism. And wherever I go, I hear the same thing from women of color: perfectionism isn’t a choice for us, it’s a requirement. And bravery, quite frankly, is a privilege.”
