05/15/15

An Open Letter to Fast Company: Drop the Sexism

Dear Chris Gayomali, Dear Fast Company-Team,

I am extremely disappointed seeing you, a publication which self-proclaims to “inspire a new breed of innovative and creative thought leaders who are actively inventing the future of business”, perpetuating a view of the world and fellow entrepreneurs which is sexist and one-dimensional.

Your recent article on Birch Box, the phenomenally successful ecommerce startup founded by Katia Beauchamp and Hayley Barna starts out with the following sentence:

“Birchbox’s co–CEO, wearing a dark monochrome dress that provides an understated canvas for her impeccable jewelry game […]”

Reducing Katia to her “impeccable jewelry game” is offensive and sexist. I am sure you would never start out an article about a male founder with a statement about his “impeccable tie game”.

Writing this as a white male - it offends me that you (and many of your colleagues) reduce my women entrepreneur colleagues to their choice of fashion instead of their incredible achievements.

Please live up to your motto and see people for what they do - not their gender, ethnicity or any other superficial distinction.