Newsletter Edition: Let’s Stop Pretending ✨
The uncomfortable truth about power, silence, and the double standard we refuse to acknowledge.
There are conversations we avoid.
Not because they are untrue—
but because they make people uncomfortable.
This is one of them.
Let’s stop pretending this doesn’t happen.
When some men are in positions of power…
they don’t just offer opportunities.
They ask for more.
Not always directly.
Not always in words.
But in looks, in tone, in “invitations,” in expectations.
And women understand it immediately.
You walk into a meeting prepared—
ready to talk about your work, your ideas, your vision.
And somewhere in that conversation…
everything shifts.
It is no longer about your talent.
It becomes about
what you are willing to give beyond that.
And what happens next?
Most women stay silent.
Not because they don’t see it—
but because they do.
Because speaking up can cost you the opportunity.
Because it can affect your reputation.
Because it is easier to walk away quietly
than to be questioned loudly.
So it continues.
Quietly.
Repeatedly.
Normalized.
But here is what doesn’t make sense.
The moment there is one story—just one—
about a woman in power abusing her position,
asking for something inappropriate…
everything changes.
Suddenly, it becomes a headline.
A scandal.
A conversation everyone wants to have.
“She abused her power.”
“How could she do that?”
And yes—let’s be clear:
that is wrong. Completely wrong.
But the question is:
Why is it only shocking then?
Why do we normalize it when it comes from men…
but treat it as a major issue when it comes from women?
Why is one expected—
and the other unacceptable?
This is not about defending anyone.
Wrong is wrong.
But the truth is:
the standard is not the same.
I made a decision once in my life
not to accept something that didn’t feel right—
not to accept “conditions”
that had nothing to do with my work.
And yes—it cost me.
But it also built me.
Because the moment you choose dignity over opportunity…
you stop being controlled by someone else’s power.
In this edition, I also want to show my support for Lorna Hajdini.
Because behind every story like this,
there is a woman who had to make a choice—
to stay silent or to speak.
And speaking is never easy.
It comes with pressure.
With judgment.
With people questioning your truth.
But it also comes with courage.
Lorna, I see your courage, and I stand with you.
To every woman reading this:
You are not wrong for noticing it.
You are not weak for walking away.
You are not difficult for setting boundaries.
You are strong.
Because real power
is not what someone offers you—
it is what you refuse to accept.
✨ Quote of the Week ✨
“If it costs your dignity…
it is not an opportunity.”
— Eva Nika
