A Lesson from Ms. Fritzberg

One thing that stood out to me from the talk given by Ms. Suzanna Fritzberg was her discussion of working in the male-dominated field of politics. She said that the saying "male-dominated" is another way of saying it is a "male-supreme" field, where males are seen as better than everyone else. She recounted how she challenges the stereotypes of women in the office by dissociating herself with anything secretarial. She wears slacks instead of skirts, doesn't dress down, never volunteers to take notes during a meeting, doesn't make coffee and learned to talk fast in order to get her ideas across before someone has a chance to interrupt her. She also said to never apologize for taking up space. This stuck with me since the field that I plan to enter can be considered a male-dominated as well. It made me realize that I needed to figure out my own worth and respect myself before I could expect anyone else to treat me that way I deserve. It also made me think about how my identity doesn't revolve around whatever my job may be. Who I am shouldn't depend on what I do for a living, this is what I need to remind myself and those around me. Ms. Fritzberg made me realize that my first priority should always be me.