Soulful Strides to Promotion & Tenure (Jan. 2024)
A New Year, a New Me... Maybe?
As I begin my new year, so many thoughts run through my mind. I am constantly thinking about tasks, opportunities, and stresses the new year may hold. I am also thinking about resolutions and words to help me be a better me, a new me. But what does a new me really look like? And more importantly, is a new me actually possible?
Over the holiday, I watched the Barbie movie. I found it to be an amazing flick. Not for the nostalgia of the doll itself but for the dialogue regarding what it feels like to be a woman, regardless of your career choice. The statement that “it is literally impossible to be a woman because we have to be extraordinary” truly resonated with me. But being an extraordinary dichotomy spoke to my soul even more deeply. The movie encapsulated the ways in which we navigate life - you know, being this but never that. Being straightforward but never condescending. Being emotionally intelligent but never operating from emotions. Being thin but not too thin, and never saying we want to be thin.
If we take a moment to just sit with the thought of a life of never, it can make you sad. But as we start 2024, never, extraordinary, and dichotomous are beautiful words to describe exactly who we each are - inside or outside the academy. Never - I never have to apologize for my ideas, my strength, my passion. Extraordinary - I am remarkably made; my C game is exceptional, and I operate from a place of grace. Dichotomous - I live a life oftentimes grounded in two completely opposing ideas created by someone else’s perspective of what I should be, but the result is always a win for me.
Barbie is a doll created by Mattel. But the movie reminded me that we (as Black women) are not the stereotypical Barbie - why would we want to be? We fight against stereotypes, right?
Over the years, Barbie has embraced diversity, sought an array of career paths, and lived her best life. That being said, we are all Barbie, and she is each of us. So, I ask the question again, is a new me even possible? It is. Most definitely.
As you return to work in 2024, return with a new you… one that embraces who you are as a woman and ___ (fill in your current title) in your never, extraordinary, and dichotomy of life. Welcome back, Black Barbie!
“It’s been a while, I’m not who I was before
You look surprised, your words don’t burn me anymore
Been meaning to tell you, but I guess it’s clear to see
Don’t be mad, it’s just the brand new kind of me”