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Activist and author Naomi Wolf calls it, "the last taboo – women talking about having money and worldly power."
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PINK POWER
by Cynthia Good, founding editor and CEO, PINK magazine PINK represents more than a color. It´s a badge of honor celebrating a global mission of equity and opportunity - a movement acknowledging all that women are today and will be tomorrow. Why PINK? Why Not! What if we could flip the word PINK on its ear to give it and us a metamorphosis-just as American culture did with words like black (black is beautiful) and gay (gay pride) While former Vogue editor Diana Vreeland once said, "Pink is the navy blue of India," ask most driven, focused, passionate, career women what they think or feel about the word pink and you´ll get an earful. Only the most confident men wear it. And until recently, ambitious career women avoided it like the plague. It´s not just about color. Throughout your life pink has been symbolic. Since the day you were born and a pink cap was placed upon your head, the color partly defined who you were and who you felt you could or could not become. At times pink was confining, girlish, degrading, liberating or all of these. But today a growing number of women who are at, or heading for the top, are comfortable with their own pinkness-the color, the attitude, and the opportunity it represents. They are embracing their femininity along with their strength, their compassion and resilience, power and passion. PINK exists to promote this new generation of women who are making a significant impact on the world through their work and their lives-while being true to themselves. PepsiCo´s North American President Dawn Hudson is one such woman. She´s part of the growing coterie of America´s most influential women who are redefining what constitutes success (for men too) in the 21st century. These leaders know success doesn´t come from wearing a navy blue suit, a bow tie, and lowering one´s voice to sound more masculine (as I did in my first TV job, circa 1982). They know that it has more to do with who you are than what you do, more to do with your values and sense of self worth than your paycheck. It also has to do with asking for and getting what you want-out of your work, your relationships, your life. "I'm not afraid to speak up," says Hudson. "I'm not aware when I walk in the room that I´m a woman. I´m walking in as someone who wants to contribute." PINK shares stories of remarkable individuals like Hudson, along with expert advice and cutting edge data and emerging trends to help readers gain more financial independence, and more equity and opportunity in the workplace. PINK´s time has come. A record number of women like Hudson now lead top companies in America and millions more (15.6 million) have started businesses of their own-at a rate twice that of men. Women are excelling in other fields, too-from medicine to education, philanthropy, politics and the arts. Women now wield trillions of dollars and account for more than 80 percent of all consumer spending. It is time these influencers had a national magazine that addresses their unique needs, interests, ambitions and accomplishments; while providing a road map for others who aspire to do great things with their lives too. Even with such progress, stumbling blocks remain. Think pay (75 cents vs. one dollar) Think politics (less than 15% of congressional members are women). Think advancement (hundreds of millions have been paid out in recent gender discrimination settlements). But perhaps the biggest hurdle has to do with our own internal struggle-with issues like life balance and, yes, power. Activist and author Naomi Wolf calls it, "the last taboo-women talking about having money and worldly power." So, PINK represents more than a color or a newborn´s cap. It´s a badge of honor celebrating a global mission of equity and opportunity-a movement acknowledging all that women are today and will be tomorrow, each deserving the chance to realize her fullest human potential; to have a beautiful career, a beautiful life. |
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