Young Girls Speak Up: 'Bossy Has Nothing to Do With Being a Boy or Girl'

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By Matt Petronzio2014-03-26 20:02:30 UTC

"Bossy" is a weighted word in our lexicon, often misconstrued as a pejorative for women who show leadership and assertiveness.

But when Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, founder of LeanIn.org, teamed up with Beyoncé and Girl Scouts of America earlier this month to ban "the other B-word," many people criticized the campaign for being misguided. They felt the "Ban Bossy" campaign should reclaim or create an informed dialogue around how we use it, rather than censor a piece of language entirely.

See also: 13-Year-Old Blogger: I Promise Girls Will Change the World

Women's media platform SheKnows released a counter-initiative on Wednesday called #BossyIs. Instead of banning words, the campaign hopes to equip young girls with the tools needed to overcome whatever stands in the way of their dreams and goals. #BossyIs promotes self-esteem through writing, STEM and athletics.

In the video above, students from St. Ann's School in Brooklyn share what they think of the word "bossy." The girls had profound, exciting things to say, giving us all hope for future generations.

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Topics: feminism, Sheryl Sandberg, Social Good, Video, Videos, Watercooler, YouTube

Video: YouTube, sheknowsdotcom