--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being female was not something that ever…" description: "\"“Being female was not something that ever held Jessica back. “I was used to getting everything I wanted and working hard for it,” said the twenty-eight..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/lynn-povich-19082_female_being-female-was-not-something-that-ever_2631535.jpg" --- # Being female was not something that ever held Jessica… ![“Being female was not something that ever held Jessica back. “I was used to getting everything I wanted and working hard for it,” said the twenty-eight-year-old writer at Newsweek.com, “so my feeling was, why do I need feminism?” quote by Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/lynn-povich-19082_female_being-female-was-not-something-that-ever_2631535.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/lynn-povich-19082_female_being-female-was-not-something-that-ever_2631535.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/lynn-povich-19082_female_being-female-was-not-something-that-ever_2631535.jpg) > ““Being female was not something that ever held Jessica back. “I was used to getting everything I wanted and working hard for it,” said the twenty-eight-year-old writer at Newsweek.com, “so my feeling was, why do I need feminism?”” [Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal confidence and achievement can make formal movements feel unnecessary, but broader systemic issues still require collective action. **In simple terms:** Confidence may reduce perceived need for feminism. Key Takeaway Balance personal success with awareness of systemic inequality. Themes feminism confidence gender society empowerment Mood critical empowering Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career advancement - gender equity discussions - ment debates Key Concepts sociology personal development activism Questions to Reflect On - Do personal successes blind you to systemic bias? - How can you use privilege to support others? A Different Perspective Individual confidence can overlook structural barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Working hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-hard/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“We need feminism because men are still getting high-fived for being present in their children’s lives. People congratulate men who “babysit” their own kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luvvie-ajayi/we-need-feminism-because-men-are-still-getting-high-fived-for-being/) [Luvvie Ajayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luvvie-ajayi/) > [What we need is a tough new kind of feminism with no illusions. Women do not change institutions simply by assimilating into them. 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Which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/there-s-many-women-now-who-think-surely-we-don-t-need-feminism/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Though women may appear equal in some ways, and though we definitely have accomplished a lot, the fact is one in one women will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-zeilinger/though-women-may-appear-equal-in-some-ways-and-though-we-definitely/) [Julie Zeilinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-zeilinger/) > [It was only when I got to college that I realized that the rest of the world didn't run the way my world was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/it-was-only-when-i-got-to-college-that-i-realized-that-the-rest-of/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [I never felt the need for feminism. I never felt competition with men, which I really believed started the movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-dickinson/i-never-felt-the-need-for-feminism-i-never-felt-competition-with-men/) [Angie Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-dickinson/) > [The most radical, audacious thing to think is that there might be some point to working hard and thinking hard and reading hard and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-radical-audacious-thing-to-think-is-that-there-might-be-some/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to keep getting goals and assists and working hard for the team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callum-hudson-odoi/i-want-to-keep-getting-goals-and-assists-and-working-hard-for-the-team/) [Callum Hudson-Odoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callum-hudson-odoi/) > [I've been working hard to lose weight and become healthier overall. I even started putting the workouts on my Snapchat so my fans can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustard/i-ve-been-working-hard-to-lose-weight-and-become-healthier-overall-i/) Mustard > [I know that I'm going to have to work hard, keep working hard, and not because of this victory think, "I'm back." I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-clijsters/i-know-that-i-m-going-to-have-to-work-hard-keep-working-hard-and-not/) [Kim Clijsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-clijsters/) > [Being under-recruited coming out of Highland, I've carried that with me. I keep pushing forward, keep working hard every day, keep my head on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-daniels/being-under-recruited-coming-out-of-highland-i-ve-carried-that-with/) [Mike Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-daniels/) > [I love to work in football, so for me it's not work. I'm not here first in the morning and last in the evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-farke/i-love-to-work-in-football-so-for-me-it-s-not-work-i-m-not-here-first/) [Daniel Farke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-farke/) ## More by Lynn Povich > [“...at Newsweek only girls with college degrees--and we were called "girls" then--were hired to sort and deliver the mail, humbly pushing our carts from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/at-newsweek-only-girls-with-college-degrees-and-we-were-called-girls/) [Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/) > [“Ellen Goodman, the Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist for the Boston Globe, said that for researchers, “the turnover was expected to be great because women didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/ellen-goodman-the-pulitzer-prize-winning-columnist-for-the-boston/) [Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/) > [“Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg agreed. “We reward men every step of the way—for being leaders, for being assertive, for taking risks, for being competitive,” she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/facebook-s-sheryl-sandberg-agreed-we-reward-men-every-step-of-the-way/) [Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/) > [“It wasn’t like I believed that sexism didn’t exist,” said Jesse. “It was just that it didn’t occur to me that what was happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/it-wasn-t-like-i-believed-that-sexism-didn-t-exist-said-jesse-it-was/) [Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/) > [I quickly realized that I enjoyed editing more than writing. 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In part, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/what-led-to-our-revolt-why-did-our-generation-suddenly-realize-that/) [Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/) > [“I was a good girl," she said. "I learned something about the world and found the courage not to be a good girl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/i-was-a-good-girl-she-said-i-learned-something-about-the-world-and/) [Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/) > [“when it came to giving the women higher pay or promotions, the Digest was not so concerned. “There were end-of-the-year reviews with two lists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/when-it-came-to-giving-the-women-higher-pay-or-promotions-the-digest/) [Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/) > [“For every man there was an inferior woman, for every writer there was a checker,” said Nora Ephron.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/for-every-man-there-was-an-inferior-woman-for-every-writer-there-was/) [Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/) > [“In 1971, Congress had approved the Comprehensive Child Development Act, which would have provided child care on a sliding fee scale to working parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/in-1971-congress-had-approved-the-comprehensive-child-development-act/) [Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/) > [“Recognizing that sexism still exists, they said, “is one of the challenges of the new generation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/recognizing-that-sexism-still-exists-they-said-is-one-of-the/) [Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/) > [Change is often rejuvenating, invigoration, fun... and necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/change-is-often-rejuvenating-invigoration-fun-and-necessary/) [Lynn Povich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/) > [“For every man there was an inferior woman, for every writer there was a checker," said Nora Ephron. 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The farthest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-solanas/the-male-dares-to-be-different-to-the-degree-that-he-accepts-his/) [Valerie Solanas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-solanas/) [Browse all 3,935 Female quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Being female was not something that ever held Jessica back. “I was used to getting everything I wanted and working hard for it,” said the twenty-eight-year-old writer at Newsweek.com, “so my feeling was, why do I need feminism?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lynn Povich" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/being-female-was-not-something-that-ever-held-jessica-back-i-was-used/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Female" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/being-female-was-not-something-that-ever-held-jessica-back-i-was-used/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/lynn-povich-19082_female_being-female-was-not-something-that-ever_2631535.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/lynn-povich-19082_female_being-female-was-not-something-that-ever_2631535.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/lynn-povich-19082_female_being-female-was-not-something-that-ever_2631535.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being female was not something that ever held Jessica back. “I was used to getting everything I wanted and…” — Lynn Povich", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lynn Povich", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-povich/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Being female was not something that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/being-female-was-not-something-that-ever-held-jessica-back-i-was-used/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-povich/being-female-was-not-something-that-ever-held-jessica-back-i-was-used/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```