After seeing Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie with her daughter, Naimuri’s marketing and communications lead, Lisa Wood, reflects on the pressures of a working woman and the search for ‘perfection.’
I have always been a bit of a perfectionist and get a real sense of satisfaction from spreadsheets, lists and having an organised home.
I am not sure if it is to do with being a Virgo (if you believe in star signs) or something that I got from my Mum and the generations before her.
However, being a busy working mum of two young kids, I have had to be kinder to myself and have realised the importance of letting go (a little!) and that striving for perfection can be stressful.
Women in general put a huge amount of pressure on themselves to do everything and I think this is especially prevalent for my generation.
Recently talking to female colleagues at work, we opened up about the modern day woman and the endless desire to try to ‘do it all’.
I personally feel there is so much pressure (from society and ourselves) to uphold a successful job, keep fit, take your vitamins, drink enough water, do your daily steps, cook
your children healthy meals, get enough sleep, keep up with the school WhatsApps, be a good friend, daughter and partner and help with homework: which is virtually impossible to do without having a breakdown!
I know I have spent many a day taunting myself over giving the kids fish fingers, missing a gym class, getting annoyed when my hair doesn’t look quite right and feeling guilty over not ringing my parents – but we need to put less pressure upon ourselves about these small
things.
Last weekend I went to see the new Barbie movie with my eldest daughter.
I grew up playing with Barbie dolls but If I am honest I wasn’t keen on watching the film and was expecting it to be a bit of a flop.
However, I was shocked about how much I enjoyed it (and laughed like I haven’t for a while) and it left me and my daughter talking about some of the important messages that came out of the film.
Stereotypical Barbie (who seemingly has a perfect life), realises that maybe that life isn’t as fulfilling or as idealistic as we are all led out to believe. She sets off on an adventure to find out more about herself and the real-world (away from Barbie land) and discovers that there is more to life than ‘being perfect’.
Both of my daughters are growing in a fast-paced social media generation, where people are supposedly living their best (and often perfect) lives, but as we too well know, many are living with crippling anxieties.
If you’re a lover of Barbie (or not), I think this film has some fundamental messages to it and I hope that future generations (of all sexes) and my children can be kinder to themselves and strive less for perfection and live life more in the moment.
Perfection means something different to each and everyone one of us, but for me I realised it means by doing too many things I am missing out on special moments with the people I love. Especially my children.
Life goes fast. Love wholeheartedly, listen to your intuition, live in the moment and be kind to yourself.
We can’t do it all.
