VIRGIN.BEAUTY.B!TCH

Patriarchy has never been a secret; it's in our faces from birth to death. Maybe that's why we don't talk about it. Most men hear the word Patriarchy and associate it with women's liberation or feminism and summarily dismiss it as irrelevant to their own experiences. On the other hand, women either believe that Patriarchy is a natural consequence of biological differences between women and men or that Patriarchy is a social injustice that must be rectified. What do you envision when you hear the word Patriarchy? Join us, let's talk about it.

Is it true? It is literally impossible to be a woman. Are you beautiful and smart but still think you're not good enough? Do you need to be extraordinary but still feel you're doing it all wrong? Is staying young, pretty, and thin the expectation, even when age says different? Is being the good girl your ideal, so you can't be rude, selfish, show off, fail, show fear, and never step out of line? Does being a woman mean tying yourself into knots just to be noticed or liked? Is it all too contradictory? Are you the victim? But how does staying the victim keep you from becoming the beautiful, smart woman who is enough? That's our conversation in this episode.

Kathy Caprino is no movie critic, but her critique of the Barbie movie and the power of the patriarchy inspired us to search her out. We found someone who was once a corporate executive, but even with career success, she struggled inwardly to feel successful. Surviving sexual harassment, gender discrimination, toxic colleagues, narcissistic bosses, and zero work-life balance, she didn’t feel valued or like someone making a positive contribution to the world. “Finding Brave” is an attitude that has transformed Kathy’s life purpose as a career and leadership coach, writer, speaker, executive trainer, and educator dedicated to the advancement of women in business. “I want to help people, not hurt people or be hurt myself.”

We have no reason to be obsessed with Barbie, but since seeing the movie, we’ve been finding deeper and deeper messages between the lines. The latest is good boys vs bad boys. Is there a lesson to be learned from women choosing bad boys like Ken — after his conversion to the patriarch — while ignoring nice guys like Allen who support women and their struggle to be free of the patriarch? It’s an interesting dichotomy. For women to say they want to be free of subjugation, indifference, and persecution in the patriarchy while choosing men who disrespect, exploit, or abuse them, as bad boys are reputed to do? Join this fascinating conversation.

How might your partner, or potential future partner, react if you asked him to see the Barbie movie with you? Since the movie's debut, women have used the "Barbie ask" as a litmus test for evaluating compatible partners. A Yes can be an insight into how considerate, open-minded, or empathetic he is. But what if your partner shuts you down before learning why this event might be important to you? Considering the complexity of relationships, judging a man over a Barbie movie might seem trivial, but who says small tests can’t give important clues about the true character of a potential life partner?

“It is literally impossible to be a woman.” So begins the monologue that breaks the women of Barbieland out of their patriarchal trance and back into power over a world they created. That dialogue reminds Christopher and Heather of why we created VBB Podcast and continue to host conversations that connect women to sources of their strength, even in a man-made world. Spoiler alert, in this episode, we highlight some of the messages in the Barbie Movies we believe translate to women’s empowerment.

She didn't create Barbie but was hired to help revive and diversify the image of the world's most iconic toy. Long before the blockbuster movie, VBB welcomed cultural expert Jess Weiner to take us on tour through the boardrooms of global brands like Mattel and Dove and share how the women's movement has influenced these corporate giants. For over two decades, Jess has continued to be a grassroots leader in raising the self-esteem and awareness of women and young girls. Jess is also an adjunct professor at USC and was recently named by Fast Company as one of the most creative people in Business in the areas of Diversity and Education.

Dana Killion is an accomplished author and a skilled storyteller known for her captivating mystery novels, but in her powerful debut memoir, Where the Shadows Dance, is where she lays bare the slow drip of the trauma she fought through to save the man she loved but in the process, how she became collateral damage in his self-destruction. Subtitled, He Got Sober; I Got Broken, Dana delves into the depths of personal trauma and the sacrifices made by women for the sake of others. Her book is a testament to strength and resilience, reflecting her journey of reinvention. Her story is about what we do for love, what we do because of love, how love can break us, how love can save us, and how the most important love is the love we feel for ourselves. Finding that level of self-love is the journey Dana shares with us.

Gina Cloud is a deeply devoted teacher, author, speaker, and advocate of all things women. Gina is a rebel and a revolutionary determined to free women from the societal, biological, and personal prisons they have endured for millennia. Using her extensive body of work developed over 25 years, Gina is passionately committed to spearheading an evolution and revolution of the ideologies that “define” and confine women while at the same time further empowering men. In her book, “W.O.M.A.N., A New Definition,” Gina imparts a new and liberating perspective to free women from media stereotypes, myths, and the oppression brought to bear by the “definition” of who and how they should be.

Nichole Crawford is a U.S. Army veteran with combat service in Iraq post-9/11. Like many veterans, Nichole believed that coming home not wearing a body bag or suffering a debilitating injury made her one of the lucky ones. War was something she could brush aside simply by surviving it. But years after her honourable discharge, Nichole suffered MST (Military Sexual Trauma) and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) in the form of debilitating nightmares, chronic sleep deprivation, and unrelenting thoughts of suicide. Her story of healing includes being a powerful voice for the #MeToo movement, earning an M.Ed. in Counseling & Human Relations, launching her app, Gratitude Morning, and authoring a Huffington Post article; I Served In Iraq. I Thought I Emerged Unscathed — But 20 Years Later, I'm Still Not The Same.