Women all over the Internet are picking holes in the Ban Bossy campaign. Launched by Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. singer Beyonce, it seeks to ban the word "bossy" on the grounds that it discourages little girls from ambition and leadership.
They could have picked a less ironic slogan. Seeking to ban things is as bossy as you can get. Other women have suggested it would be better to temper pushiness in boys or to reclaim the word "bossy"; the Internet is alive with a million feminist criticisms.
However, I can't help falling in love with the campaign's spirit. The semantic dissection is all very adult and they are speaking to children. Their phrasing may be imperfect, but the 10-year-old me knows exactly what it means.
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