Call Me Maven – Why Women Writers/Bloggers are Still Fighting Gender Bias
By Roberta Rosenberg on Dec 14, 2009 in In Appreciation, Just Thinking, Occasional Rantings
photo credit: 1Happysnapper(is trying to catch up )
I knew something was up when James Chartrand at MenwithPens gave me some kind of cockamamie story about phone phobia as a reason he couldn’t chat with me about a project I had asked his firm to take on.
Then James called me, and damn, if he didn’t sound just like a woman. That’s because James was a woman who used a male nom de plume for herself and her firm. Why, you might ask? Because she got more respect and earned more dough when clients thought of her as male rather than female … and in the 21st century, no less.
James asked me to keep her secret which I have until today when she outed herself on Copyblogger, in large response to someone she trusted who recently dropped the dime on her identity. (Shame on him/her/them.) If you’re a woman writer/blogger, I urge you to read it. If you’re a man who hires women writers/bloggers, you’ll want to read it and then commit it to memory.
When James and I chatted that day about the secret she kept, I thought about the blogosphere’s emphasis on authenticity and transparency. I wondered if she hadn’t broken some cardinal rule by not being forthright. But after a few moments, what did such rules matter really. She was a single mom with kids to feed. She did what she had to do and I would have done the very same thing.
Rules be damned.
I had my own online flirtation with a gender-neutral handle in the mid 1980s when I was a subscriber to GEnie, a pre-internet online subscription service. My “handle” (GEnie launched during the CB radio craze) was “Direct Action” chosen purely because I was in the direct marketing business.
I wrote the same way with the same unique cadence then as I write with now. In an online world which was heavily male, I was assumed to be one of them unless asked. The reactions were, shall we say, interesting and varied. Some folks were merely surprised; others were sort of shocked that I as a woman would have such an “aggressive” handle. Some even went so far as to suggest I change it, its provocative nature unseemly for “a girl.”
Bite me then. Bite me now.
When I started TCM in 2006, I appeared to be among a handful of women copywriters with a blog. (There were lots of women writers blogging, but not a lot of women copywriters blogging.) That reality seemed at odds with my personal experience as a copywriter in the DC-metro area. The profession here was and still is “lousy” with women, so much so that I wondered if I’d mistakenly entered a profession as pink-collared as teaching and nursing. I even blogged about it, calling myself the “Sally Rogers” of online copywriters. (Go look-up Sally Rogers/The Dick Van Dyke Show in Wikipedia if you don’t understand my reference.)
Today, there are more of us online blogging and tweeting, but the numbers – to me, at least – still seem pretty paltry.
In “Do Male Bloggers Receive More Respect?” , Deborah Ng posits about the names we assign to experts. Men get guru, ninja, and rockstar. Women get umm … diva and perhaps darling. Adorable for sure, but perhaps too girly, too fabulous?
I staked out ‘Maven’ for myself, in part, because it wasn’t inherently male or female. Just a Yiddish word meaning expert which has, over time, become everyday business parlance.
Some wondered if I overstepped my bounds. There were a few who shared with me privately that they thought it was a little ballsy – perhaps too ballsy – of me to proclaim myself a copywriting maven, even though I had been a successful marketing copywriter (strategist, consultant, etc.) for 25+ years. I should, perhaps, be more modest.
Bite me then. Bite me now.
Modesty is a virtue that is seriously overrated especially when you’re trying to make a living and build a business. I’d rather ask forgiveness than ask permission any day of the week, business or otherwise.
One of the reasons I liked direct marketing was because you couldn’t fudge it. A numbers driven business, you couldn’t hide behind vague measures of awareness and visibility. Either you made your nut or you didn’t. It was all about the work.
So, by all means, feel free to “call me Maven.” It isn’t ballsy. Just accurate … all modesty aside.
James Chartrand - Men with Pens | Dec 14, 2009 | Reply
Hehehe… bite me. Too funny.
“Look. You don’t even have to say a word. I’ll do the talkin’!”
And damn. I was caught. “Fine, fine… HERE’s the number!”
Thanks for being cool about it and keeping the secret for all this time. And thanks for this awesome post.
Deb Ng | Dec 14, 2009 | Reply
I also remember how adamant James was about not doing my BlogTalkRadio show. Would. Not. Do. It.
It’s all good and it’s a good lesson. Here’s to the day gender doesn’t matter anymore.
Roberta Rosenberg | Dec 14, 2009 | Reply
@James – Hah, I had forgotten that I offered to do all the talking during the call. I’m sorry that the timing of your post wasn’t all your own choice. You were/are sublime.
@Deb – the only place where gender counts is in the public bathroom and maternity delivery in the hospital. I’ll drink to that.
Akemi - Yes to Me | Dec 14, 2009 | Reply
I’m reading this by following James’ tweet —
The whole issue is quite interesting. Because of my foreign name (foreign to English speaking people, that is), I purposefully use my face pic to let the world know I’m a girl. And here she is, James purposefully using male pen name, and not only that, emphasizing his perceived masculinity with his blog name, designs, etc. I can see she intentionally make her writing sound like a guy writing. (English is considered to be gender neutral language, but still, there is a big difference in the way a man and a man speaks / writes)
I’m a bit saddened for the whole thing. Like not knowing what to believe. I’m not blaming James… I’m just discouraged.
Akemi
Chris Baltzley | Dec 14, 2009 | Reply
HA! My sentiments EXACTLY –
Bite me then. Bite me now.
And, as Chris, guess I have the best of both worlds – you really don’t know whether I am or not – do ya!?
Lorraine | Dec 14, 2009 | Reply
Hey Roberta,
You note that in your region the copywriting ‘…profession here was and still is “lousy” with women…’
Here’s an observation from my neck of the woods (NY metro area): Generalist women copywriters aren’t exactly an oddity, but most analytics-based, long-copy DM copywriters are male.
I’ve always admired you for mastering this male-dominated medium.
I know tons of women journalists/editors who moonlight on soft marketing copy. But they tend to get paid significantly less than pure marketing copywriters. Is that a gender or a media issue?
Can’t say.
Roberta Rosenberg | Dec 14, 2009 | Reply
@Akemi – Yes, it’s very discouraging and disheartening. But it can be seen as a wake-up call, too. We can’t take anything for granted.
@Chris – Having a gender-neutral name, depending on the circumstances, allows you to play both sides. Whatever does you best is the best course.
@Lorraine – Maybe it’s because DC copywriters tend to be more B2B than B2C – especially with associations and government contractors. By soft marketing, do you mean PR? Aww, where’s the fun in that? I did an interview where I made the analogy that copywriters are like hunters bringing home fresh kill. (James should appreciate the ‘dripping with testosterone’ picture.
I don’t think it’s a media or gender thing. I think it’s a ‘how comfortable are you selling?’ thing. Sales, by its very nature, is aggressive, but many women do shy away, except in a few fields. Real estate and cosmetics comes to mind first …
Lori | Dec 17, 2009 | Reply
What an awesome mantra -
Bite me then. Bite me now.
About time we women step forward to remind people that talent and balls are not gender specific (at least, metaphorically speaking).
Roberta Rosenberg | Dec 17, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for adding your comments, Lori. I couldn’t agree more. (Lots of folks have commented to me privately how much they liked the “Bite me then. Bite me now.” Glad you did, too.
Beverly Bergman | Mar 19, 2010 | Reply
Oh yeah. I hear you Roberta and all of you! Couldn’t agree more. Whether it’s real or perceived, it’s time to stand in our power. Stay tuned because I’m planning on turning this ugly truth on it’s poor little head and I’d love to have you help me. I say it’s time we get the respect we deserve. If you’re with me, email me at Bev at CopywritingForCoaches dot com — for now. A new site coming very soon.