“Hi Pot. I’m Kettle.”

We women have made great strides in this world. We have climbed corporate ladders, we have shattered glass ceilings; we have grinned as others told us that what we were attempting was impossible “for a woman.”

We have taken great delight in proving others wrong and doing that which they said could not be done.

I am all for Female Empowerment. I carry it with me wherever I go, right along with my lip gloss and my sense of humor. I’m not militant about it, but I also don’t believe for a minute that I am “the weaker sex.” Unless, of course, I have to open a jar of pickles. And then I drop my female empowerment for just a few seconds as I hand the pickle jar over to my DH.

But while we women have made great progress, I’ve noticed something a little disturbing in the world of photography. It might not be noticeable upon first glance, but dig just a wee bit below the surface and you’ll see it’s there: this sense of Female Empowerment is often used as a sales tool by OTHER women.

And what’s even worse, it is used as a shaming device if you are a female who disagrees with another female.

“But…but…” many sputter, “we are all women! We should be encouraging one another and supporting one another! How dare you question me? WE BOTH HAVE VAGINAS!”

We see women defend their right to boldly speak their mind, yet become enraged when others dare do the SAME THING.

“Hi Pot; I’m Kettle.”

I beg of you, dear female sisters, stop using the “female platform” to sell to other women; stop using the unique insecurities and struggles associated with being a woman, a wife, a partner, a mom, a daughter and a business owner to your advantage simply to make a sale.

Because one of the best ways female photographers can empower other female photographers is by not taking advantage of them.

And as Ina Garten would say, “How easy is that?”

xoxo