Kelly Diels and the Pastel Pink underbelly of the Patriarchy
Picture this.
Your life and business are both stuck in a rut and you know you need someone’s guidance to get out of it.
Someone who looks, talks, and acts like you and who’s been through similar struggles.
So, you decide to get the help of a female lifestyle coach and log onto their website.
And are immediately greeted by:
A website with a background of pastels
A slim, white woman in a sheath dress and with shiny white teeth at the centre of it
A background of a perfect, sunny, customized kitchen in a large, airy house
As you continue to browse, you see something odd - at every page you’re being sold empowerment and are being advised to ‘embrace who you are’.
But, all of that is coming from someone who is wealthy, attractive, and socially acceptable.
Someone who shows none of the physical or emotional flaws that they’re teaching you to embrace.
That is what Kelly Diels calls ‘The Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand.’
Kelly is a feminist marketing consultant and coach who helps people build businesses that break age-old oppressive cycles.
And defining ‘The Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand’ archetype is her life’s work.
Kelly clarifies that most women who embody the archetype aren’t always inherently misogynistic, or even aware of the conflicting messages their branding is putting out.
However, they are ultimately selling patriarchy in a pretty pink bow.
After all, the archetype involves wealthy, conventionally attractive women leveraging their white privilege to exert power over other women by making them feel inadequate or lesser than.
And buying into it isn’t going to do much to help other women (especially those from minorities).
We all need to check ourselves (and who we choose as role models), take a deeper look at how businesses operate, and analyze what kinds of messages we’re sending out into the world.
Especially right now.
And Kelly is more than happy to help us down that road!
In today’s episode Kelly goes deeper into the Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand, discusses how and WHY we should shun traditional ways of operating a business, the differences between business and capitalism and much more!
We always love having Kelly around because we walk away from our conversations with a different perspective on things we took for granted.
And we’re sure she’ll have that effect on you too!
Here’s a peek at what else you can expect:
Why you always need to jump before you're ready
The financial benefits of adopting feminist practices to your business
How you can break the cycle of leveraging an oppressive system
What makes a business different from ruthless capitalism
How we can realize the power we hold to change the culture around us
How ‘business as usual’ is implicitly oppressive
Resources
The Body is Not an Apology - Sonya Renee Taylor
This Week’s Joy:
Kelly’s joy this week is an answer to all our Amazon problems - bookshop.org. Much like Amazon, It’s a website where you can order books to be shipped to your doorstep.
The catch? A commission goes into supporting indie bookstores around you!
This Week’s Hustle:
Kelly isn’t a fan of the traditional business and copywriting formula of Problem - Aggravate - Solution. Instead, she proposes her ‘5 Step Messaging Model’ which initiates a shared vision or value with your customer and helps them make deliberate decisions to purchase your product, instead of being forced to do so from a place of shame.
Kelly is also working on an audit (or quiz!) which helps assess businesses and see if you’re either lining up with the Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand, or if your coaches and teachers are. Watch her website to be the first to know when it drops!
Know Your Numbers
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