Demanding or diligent?
High-maintenance or with standards?
Stubborn or persevering?
Do you feel the difference?
What is #PowerPhrase?
#PowerPhrase is a campaign and a movement that empowers women and inspires men to defy gender stereotypes.
It raises awareness on:
- the linguistic dimension of gender stereotypes;
- unwarranted micro-aggressions that women experience regularly;
- the power of words in shaping norms.
But #PowerPhrase also aims to:
- encourage everyone to confront gender bias embedded in our speaking habits;
- inspire empowering linguistic choices;
- advocate positive adjectives that highlight the remarkable contribution women make in all areas of life.
Importantly, #PowerPhrase movement is not only about how men speak to women!
It is also about how women speak about and to other women, and how women speak about themselves. It is about what little girls hear people say about women who aren’t in the room, and how people speak about their female bosses in the presence of young female co-workers.
The adjectives that we choose are not an objective assessment. Rather, they demonstrate the extent of our openness to expression of power, autonomy and vulnerability in women. Simply put, our choice of words is prone to unconscious bias that might serve gender stereotypes.
Words can give or cut wings and we can easily lift one another by using the right words and valuing everyone’s contributions. #PowerPhrase inspires to develop a mindset where we do just that.
#PowerPhrase in action
PowerPhrase campaign offers positive substitutes for negative words that women frequently encounter in all spheres of everyday life, to eliminate the gender stereotypes lurking in our language.
Belittling words cut wings, so we replace negative and critical adjectives with a PowerPhrase:
When they call you oversensitive, call them out – you are emphatic!
Ever been called bossy? Correct them – you are competent!
You are not feisty either. You are just clever.
Not a posey drama-queen, but an expressive person.
And not frigid, but simply uninterested.
#PowerPhrase is present on Instagram and Facebook, where you find:
- a series of memes with the campaign slogans;
- photos of women with their personal PowerPhrase;
- diaries about the belittling words women often hear;
- stories and posts about those who join the movement!
#PowerPhrase hashtag is here to unite women in their shared feelings of frustration at the often-encountered gender stereotypes, perpetuated with language.
As a woman, you know this: too often we are too little or too much. #PowerPhrase is our response to that.
How to join the #PowerPhrase movement?
Discover the true potential of language with #PowerPhrase and join us on a journey to bigger words, better conversations, and stronger relationships. Here is what you can do to join the movement:
Pick your personal #PowerPhrase from our list or make up your own!
Write it on an A4 sheet in your style!
You can use plain paper or print-out a page with the campaign logo from this PDF.
Show it on the Instagram: in a feed or a story.
Don’t forget to tag us so that we re-post and share! @eu.incubator #PowerPhrase
If you feel like it, tell us your story behind this post in a text or a video: why this is your #PowerPhrase or why this movement resonates with you.
You can also tell us your story anonymously via this form and it may get featured in our diary posts.
Not ready to share yet? Take your time. Support the movement by liking and sharing our posts and memes – help spread the message!
Together, we march on!