When you search the word “bossy” on the built-in Dictionary on a Mac, this is the example sentence provided: “She was headlong, bossy, scared of nobody, and full of vinegar.”

On YourDictionary.com, out of the 18 sentences using the word “bossy,” eight of them explicitly refer to a woman, while the rest are ambiguous.

Bossy has become a word that has both a negative connotation to it and is used most often in reference to women. There isn’t really a male equivalent to the word. It seems as though only women can be seen negatively when they rise to power.

People respect female leaders and strong female characters. People don’t look at Brienne from “Game of Thrones,” arguably one of the strongest female characters on television, and think, “Wow, she’s so bossy.” She’s a woman who has a job, does it and does it well.

Maggie from “The Walking Dead” is also a leader and a strong female character, but we don’t look at her and call her bossy or bitchy. She’s strong and accomplished.

The fact that we look at these characters for how unique they are shows that there is a divide. There is something about these women that makes them stand out. They are atypical.

For every woman that is portrayed on television like Brienne and Maggie, there are so many others who are bossy or bitchy. Miranda Priestly from “The Devil Wears Prada” is one of the most iconically ill-portrayed characters in film or television. She is a female leader who is shown as not just stepping over the line of bossy, but practically jumping over it and running a mile away.

There’s also Coach Sylvester on “Glee,” who, although can have a kind heart, is generally seen pushing kids down the stairs and bullying her students into doing what she wants.

It’s not a good example for children to see how these women act when they have power. Instead, girls need to see real world examples. Dean of Students Karen Donoghue ’03 is a woman of power at Fairfield and she is not seen as bossy. She is a woman who does her job well and earns every bit of respect this school gives her.

There are female student leaders across campus. There are women in the film department who are learning to become cinematographers and grips in a field that is arguably one of the most male-dominated.

There are female engineers nominated for state awards in another major that is generally overwhelmed by men.

There are three females leading The Mirror, when there has been at least one man on the Editorial Board every year since 2006, except for 2011-2012.

There are female leaders to see everywhere. Many are not seen as bossy, but women who excel in their jobs, just like their male counterparts. That is what needs to be focused on and an end to the negative term “bossy.”

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