The profile of an HSBC exec who wakes up at 5:30 a.m. supported a myth I push against daily
- In this letter to the editor, finance professional Lisa Schwarzberg says a recent story profiling an HSBC executive promoted a one-sided view of a single person that's far from the norm.
- "The glamour photos and styled poses aren't real life, and you have chosen to engage in the fantasy and promote unrealistic images of what it is to be a working woman," she writes.
I recently read your article about the HSBC exec who wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to work out, always eats green, and studies at Stanford in her free time, and I was saddened by your desire to promote an article such as this.
I give Melania credit; she has carved out a unique lifestyle. But stop there. By publishing this article, you have promoted not a strong working woman and the challenges of being such, but instead a one-sided view of a single person that I would argue is far from the norm. You have supported the myth that I am always pushing against each day in my career: Women can't do what men do. Women should do yoga and play tennis, and not have the work dinner at 8 p.m. with the board to discuss the next big move for our company.
Melania has a 9-to-5 job; I don't know of challenging, career-advancing roles where 9 to 5 is acceptable. Melania doesn't check email as soon as she wakes up, nor does she need to take work home. Melania gets an hour and a half for lunch; no one on my team has the ability to take such time in the middle of the day - every day - given the fast-paced world we live in.
I am a seasoned finance professional; my life couldn't be further from what you published. The glamour photos and styled poses aren't real life, and you have chosen to engage in the fantasy and promote unrealistic images of what it is to be a working woman. I, and all my female friends, work hard each and every day. We scramble to get it all done, to support our husbands and our children, and sweat each second to advance our careers. We love what we do, and we are good at it, but we are sitting at our desks wolfing down whatever we could grab quickly rather than sitting by the ocean and spending 90 minutes relaxing while we casually and slowly eat lunch.
Please, Business Insider, report on real life, not fantasies you pretty-up and depict for all the world to see. My daughter has enough to scrutinize with the bikini-clad magazines and perfectly dressed images she sees each day. Why not show her real life, and show her how to embrace it?
I'm disappointed in you, Business Insider, and welcome the opportunity to read truthful depictions of working women, working moms, working adults caring for their aging parents, and all the other real-life encounters that my female colleagues and I juggle each and every day.
Or print this on April 1. And see how funny we all think you are.
Sincerely,
Lisa Schwarzberg