International Women’s Day Interview with Katie & Sarah
At Lambert Home, a business owned and operated by women, we find ourselves talking a lot about womanhood, femininity, and strength. Can you blame us? These are just some of the things that make us into the beautiful and complex women that we are! On International Women’s day, we want to share some of those thoughts with you! So we, the marketing team (Hi! Nice to meet you!), interviewed Katie and Sarah on some of these topics!
Who are some women you look up to?
Katie: I tend to look up to DOERS the most. I tend to honor hard work and effort over other wonderful qualities, and oftentimes I’m really drawn to women who are naturally stubborn. Give me a Rosa Parks, a Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an Oprah Winfrey every day!
Sarah: Okay, you’re going more broad-scale—love it! Yes to them! I look up to women in my real life, who I’ve actually met, who show up honestly every day. I’ve met plenty of women who pretended to be okay, or to love their life, or to be happy all the time. I’m looking up to the mom who’s okay to say she’s angry, or tired; or a woman who loves her job, but can talk about how she’s missing other parts of life for work. Authenticity is the attribute I most admire in women because we’re conditioned to believe authenticity is the least important trait. If you’re being authentic, you’ve had to fight for it!
Historically, women have been limited and told they can only fit into one role. Today, we have more opportunities, but we’re still put into limiting boxes. How would you describe the boxes that women are typically put in today?
Katie: Preach! For me it’s hard to name these stereotypical boxes because, frankly, they’re such garbage. However, if I were going to define what I’ve seen, I see that women can be forced into one of these four categories: "The Mother,” who is a tender, caring, doting, care-taker; "The Masculine,” who is direct, strong-willed, and a leader; "The Lady,” who is pure, rule-following, and safe; and “The Seductress,” who is connected to her sexuality, and she’s free, beautiful, and powerful. Maybe there are more stereotypes! There likely are! But these appear the most predominantly to me.
Sarah: I know people have called me “sweet Sarah,” forever, but I definitely do not identify as sweet! While people view me as feminine and lady-like, I know I am also a fifth stereotype, “The General”: Decisive, in-charge, demanding, and with long-term+broad-scale vision. How’s that for a female stereotype?!
That brings us to our next question! Which stereotype do you relate to the most?
Katie: I have always been grouped with “The Masculine” type, and have spent years of my life being corrected and conditioned to believe those qualities are “bad,” and “improper,” for women. Only recently have I come to discover that in my deepest heart, I actually most relate to “The Mother.” Even my role at Lambert Home has evolved over the years. In the beginning, I assumed that my role would require the characteristics of “The Masculine” woman, where in fact, the care-taking, tender role has become more powerful and influential in the way we run our business.
Sarah: I am an enneagram type three, which means I tend to be a people-pleasing chameleon. So, YOU want “The Lady?” No prob. YOU want “The Seductress,” (God forbid!)? No prob. I know I’m really “The General.” That is true both personally and professionally, for me. I guess it relates back to my love for authenticity. I want to be the same—my real self—everywhere!
Do you think these stereotypes you’ve been assigned have helped or hurt you as you’ve run your business?
Sarah: I think they’ve done both! Clients want someone to be in charge, confident in their plan, and ready to fight for their rights—The General! That’s been a bonus. But for people who don’t respond well to a woman in charge, or a woman who’s confident in her leadership, or who’s decisive in a positive way, it can be tricky! Because most people assume I am “The Lady,” they approach me in a soft, accommodating way, but others can be very patronizing instead. I’ve literally been told multiple times to call my husband so that he could solve my problem. I’ve been asked what my husband thinks about my career. I don’t have a husband!! As I adopt 4 children, it’s been assumed that I’ll quit working so that I can take care of them. Haha!
Katie: Lol, exactly, Sarah. That’s actually really close to what I was going to say. I think being aware of these stereotypes gives you an advantage in business. If you can be aware that certain people will want you to present within a certain female stereotype, you can kinda hack the system. It’s not something that women should HAVE to do, but in the structure we live and work in, it can help. For example, I recently saw a woman on TikTok with the most glorious hair I’d ever seen. She explained, flatly in one video, that the REASON she does her hair every day is because her hair gets her into rooms and business spaces that a messy bun might not afford her access to. It’s the same with these stereotypes - if we’re going to be forced into them, we have to use them to our advantage!
How are you more than the boxes you’ve been put in?
Sarah: Aren’t we all?! I hope so! I’m fully confident that I am exactly who God made me to be, in exactly the right place to follow His plans for my life. He has called me “The General,” and I feel fully seen, known, and empowered by that truth!
Katie: Hahahaha I think this is the work of life. Becoming, every day, more than you were, more than you have been, more than others’ expectations, etc. Stepping into the full vast scope of who God intends you to be!
So there you have it! Queen, you can’t be put into a box! God made you to be so much more than the roles you play, or the societal rules we’re expected to follow. Go with God, and be who He made you to be! Maybe that means you’ll fit snugly into one stereotype, maybe it means you’ll have the power to be all of them at different times. Either way, you are enough!