Happy & Healthy

confession

This is the most bourgeois thing May has ever done

So I have something with photos of children and work. To put it very bluntly, I think (or should I say ‘thought’?) that you disqualify yourself as a woman in the workplace if you only flash photos of your darlings. Of course, I just showed everyone here the first school trip of my youngest and the sponsor run of my middle child, but otherwise, you should leave photos of little cheeks under the ice and a decorated tea box you received for Mother's Day at home. And that's why I also think you should erase the letters ‘proud mum’ from your Instagram profile.

As women, we simply have the odds against us. Glass ceiling, remember? If you're busy hanging that coloring page of your child on the granola wall behind your desk, you're immediately 2-0 down. Unless you must be a twisted genius to make up for it. I will probably make a few enemies here, but that's just how it works in the working world.

”I believe there was even a bit of spit that came with it, he thought it was so stupid‘

For that reason, I often had a photo of myself as the background on my phone. Not for self-glorification or anything, more because it reminded me of a special visit or a nice fashion week. When my HNTM colleague Dirk Kikstra saw that once, he moved a bit further away from me. “You have a picture of YOURSELF??” I believe there was even a bit of spit that came with it, he thought it was so stupid.

Out of shock, I replaced my photo with a flat lay (of which I didn't even know at the time that it was called a flat lay). You know, a cozy still life of beautiful things like macarons, champagne, and a few crackling fresh magazines. That was actually fine because no one took offense, but to say that my heart did a little jump when I turned on my phone; not exactly.

In my look-at-me-I'm-an-extremely-working-woman world (by the way, check out a strong story from Liesbeth on this topic), someone often asked me for a photo of my darlings. Then I had to slog through a mountain of photos every time before I found a nice shot. I really have hundreds of photos of my girls (I believe even 22,765), but then you want to show in a photo how fun, pretty, and funny they are. And preferably one where the mess that is my living room (sometimes) is a bit out of sight. How bad did I feel again when I had to scroll through my film roll for six minutes before I got that perfect one of my girls on the beach. here "How bad did I feel again when I had to scroll through my film roll for six minutes before I got that perfect one of my girls on the beach".

”The other day when I was cleaning up my film roll on the plane (the perfect airplane task), I actually came across a beautiful family portrait. Taken on the beach of Pampelonne near Saint Tropez. My beloved is lifting our youngest girl, the middle one is stubbornly hanging over a beach pole, and the oldest is finally in a photo that does her justice (usually she runs away in her Mega Mindy suit) and I knew it: this photo became my new background.”

And I'm sorry to say it, but every time I unlock my phone, my heart skips a beat. And I always have a good photo on standby when people want to know what my husband and children look like. So no matter how emancipated I want to be, that background photo stays. Maybe I was a bit too adamant and it’s also about balance. Just like drinking wine and shopping. As long as you maintain the balance, it will be fine. And if I help my career down the drain with my wonderfully cozy bourgeois background, then so be it. At least I did it myself.

So I have something with photos of children and work. To put it very bluntly, I think (or should I say 'thought'?) that you disqualify yourself as a woman...