Janet Wang
Co-Host & Co-Founder, AsianBossGirl
Was there ever a time when someone told you to “be more feminine”?
As a child, I had innately feminine qualities that I felt were celebrated at home - I was soft, expressive, nurturing, keen on arts & crafts, and loved to dance. But as I spent more time in social settings, I think I became influenced by society’s definitions of success and its focus on achievement – like loud leadership, hard work (to the point of burnout), and building upon over creating anew.
So in fact, I have often felt that society was telling me to be LESS feminine – to toughen up and win. I believe it was when I started embracing my feminine qualities that I began to achieve meaningful success and feel content.
What are the societal expectations and perceptions that come with ‘Femininity’?
In Western culture, feminine characteristics like softness and unassertiveness are usually seen as negative and weak. But I think there is great power in these traits – a gentle nature and quiet confidence can be incredibly effective when worn confidently.
The challenge is to truly believe in the greatness of these qualities when the world is constantly telling you otherwise, especially for Asian women who bear the weight of a persona that dehumanizes and sexualizes femininity.
In the past, I resisted a feminine identity because it was often seen as “lesser than”. But as I get older and consider some of the most powerful aspects of femininity (like motherhood), learn to listen to my intuition more than the outside world, and reflect on the feminine energy I’ve witnessed throughout my life with this new lens, I can’t help but call bullshit on many of these societal perceptions.
#FeminineAndProud means to stop resisting and start embracing your innate qualities, trusting that you’ll find more meaningful outcomes.
What is your personal definition of being #FeminineAndProud?
To me, femininity is a double-edged sword that I used to resist. Growing up in a society that often valued masculine energy, I fought the parts of me that were innately feminine – my sensitivity, quiet nature, and inclination to collaborate versus compete – and tried to adopt more aggressive behaviors and values. It was only later in my adulthood that I would consider myself #FeminineAndProud, and it’s something I still work on.
What will you do to redefine your definition of Femininity?
I’ll continue to make decisions and take actions that are true to my gentle nature and quiet confidence, my desire to collaborate over compete, and my natural ability to nurture and sense intuitively.
#FeminineAndProud means to stop resisting and start embracing your innate qualities, trusting that you’ll find more meaningful outcomes.
How do you support the women in your community? We’d love to give them a shout out to our #LBCommunity.
To the AsianBossGirl community – I vow to continue creating a space for us so that we can support and inspire each other, truly believing in our greatness as individuals and as a community.
Who’s your ultimate girl crush, woman icon or role model?
Oh there are so many!
One that comes to mind is Dolly Parton who famously said “I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else.”.
