Women Don't Cry... in Business

Two weeks ago, on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, Martha said, "Don't you cry. Women in business don't cry" and I couldn't help but gasp out of utter joy and admiration. She spoke up and she is right. I am always so ashamed of seeing women in these business settings breaking down and acting like emotional slobs! If you're going to cry.. do so in the privacy of your own bathroom stall but make sure that when you face your colleagues, they don't know it.

I had a friend once that called me from her workplace, crying to herself in a bathroom stall because her co-workers didn't like her earrings. I mean, I understand she is a bit sensitive to the criticism of others, but for crying out loud, don't let them SEE you cry!

Perhaps I'm too cut-throat, cold even... but I don't believe that there is room for emotional breakdowns when you are at work. Mind you, if you work in a setting where emotional displays are welcome - like in the hospital or whatever - then fine, do as you must. But when you're in a professional environment, don't cry because the work is too hard or because you're not getting along with your coworkers. At that point, my advice is: Suck it up and put on a happy face.

It shows strength in character, right? And this is what women in today's world need. A man looks at a woman who cries every time she can't get a job done and thinks: "I don't need to put up with this bullshit here, I get enough of this at home. I'm going to hire a man to do the job." It's our disadvantage because as much as we've progressed, I believe it is still a man's world. And so women need to put up a solid fight to gain the respect that so many others before us have worked hard to attain.