#FTBTimeOfMyLife 

(39) 2015

What must a woman do to be seen as "professional" in the workplace?

Blunt your emotions. 
Show no weaknesses. 
Stop being a girl.

Because a girl - as opposed to a woman - is seen as naive, happy-go-lucky, ideal and trusting, and thus cannot be tasked with serious or difficult responsibilities.

Recently for work I had to watch a documentary called Running From Crazy, which followed one of Ernest Hemingway's granddaughters as she tried to grasp the history of her family's mental illness.

Mariel was an engaging protagonist, but I was more fascinated by her mother's journey, who relied on alcohol to console her suppressed free-spirit, because she "just wanted to be a girl" but could no longer. As a socialite she was shackled to the society's expectations, and she left this world an unhappy woman. 

Maybe that's why the corporate mold fits me no longer, because I am a "girl" as defined above, and I don't want to change.

What are the things that come to your mind when you think of the year 2015? Please share them below with us, or on Instagram comments or DM, or just jot them down in your private diary.

FTB Time of My Life is an exercise to celebrate the things that have shaped our lives. Click here for details on how to participate.

Up next, 2016!

Eileen x