defining the alpha
As we draw to the end of March and Women’s History month I thought it would be a good time to talk about a subject that came to mind the other day. The Female Alpha. A different kind of Alpha.
I knew what I envisioned when I think about an Alpha. And as you know this category of my blog, Sentiment is ‘just my opinion’. I do like to uphold the warning that you might learn something if you’re not darned careful so I thought I would Google, Alpha female and Alpha male. Shocker! There was some discrepancies. All the way down to the way the information was presented and including the sources. Oh! and speaking of sources, the Featured image for today’s blog is courtesy of this company, “https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/international-women-s-day-
the word according to google (and other sources)
I googled alpha female to start with. Trying to find attribution for the source I discovered that it was simple to find alpha male in the Oxford dictionary as well as personality traits but there was no such animal for the alpha female. Hm-m, we may have a trend here or rather google has managed to make my point. It is probably easier to present my findings as an image. Here’s what I found:
Controlling, competitive and more aggressive-than what or whom? Seems sort of negative. I do like the next part about being healthier and more energetic. Well we have to be don’t we, to keep up or surpass all the rest?
In my post https://sassaleeyours.com/its-a-woman-thing-isnt-it/ I talked about the various roles that we, as women, hold day to day. Meeting the demands of a job outside the home is just one of them. Competing in a world that has traditionally been owned by men make it even more tricky. But then I don’t have to tell you that, do I.
through the years
If you’d like to gain some perspective regarding just how far we have come then check out the movie, Iron Jawed Maidens. Have you seen Hidden Figures? All of these women should be role models. They knew what being tough and standing up for what’s right, was all about.
I was fortunate enough to have been raised by parents that believed (and instilled) that I could do anything I set my mind to. Being female wasn’t a factor. Interestingly, the household itself was definitely a patriarchal environment. But then, mom and I had some pretty impressive women in our backgrounds to help us through.
Today and seemingly in particular this year in 2024 I see women taking more of a stand in business and industry. We have long had women in these roles and in roles of leadership but it has never seemed to be a clear and easy path. I understand that there are sacrifices that in some instances need to be made. What I’m not sure of is whether the sacrifices required are equitable among the men and women in these roles.
same old story, just a different song
I love music. Recognizing that music is a multibillion dollar industry doesn’t take a genius. What does take getting used to is the disparity within some of the genres. According to Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/nancyberk/2023/06/28/representation-of-women-on-the-country-charts-is-a-sad-song-garth-brooks-might-change/?sh=3959a4483a2b country music representation by artist gender, the researchers found the gender ratio for Country was 4.8 to 1. But that’s ok. Women like Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn started the pathway and artists like Lainey Wilson, Brandi Carlile are blazing a whole new highway. Kelli Clarkson is setting records in diverse business ventures while Miley Cyrus just said it all with her grammy winning, “I can buy myself flowers”.
shifting sands
I am seeing a shift. Women are coming into their own. We just need to be sure not to get in our own way. Those sacrifices made shouldn’t be each other. No one knows what women can do as well as another woman. It is up to US to show the rest of the world. Over the years during various job interviews when asked about my strengths I would cite examples given by past employers/supervisors. One of the words that always seemed to crop up was aggressive. I always found it interesting that depending upon who was making the observation determined whether it was an attribute or a deterrent.
a different kind of alpha
I’ve learned alot over the years. I’ve learned not to apologize but rather to embrace the assertiveness in my personality. I will probably always retain a certain reticence and humility in my day to day life but rest assured I can wear the “big girl panties” when I need to.
One of the highlights of my professional life was when I was invited to join a brand new team within the company that I was working for. This team was a group of ten women brought together as a futuristic vision of what medicine and computers was to become. 10 Alpha women. We were an elite group that that thrived on each others energy and expertise. We were led by tiers of other women that had made their way in the business world. Never before (or since then) have I felt so alive.
These women were true alphas. Women, experts, making history. This is where I first became part of a team. There were no jealousies and any competition was healthy in who could figure out the issues first. And then share it with the others.
These are the women I still look up to. Strong, confident, kind and yes, aggressive.
The Alpha male brings to mind an acceptance that he will succeed and be revered by all for his endeavors. The female alpha remains with the stigma that she must be a ball buster sans the creds to hold her head high without emasculating the rest. (I once was compared to a honey badger!)
The real female alpha is here to stay. She knows who she is and will support any and all that requires it to get the job done. She is confident, competent and caring.
I am proud to belong to that sisterhood and still remain,
Sassaleeyours…