To quote the author: “One of the things the book has been attacked for is, ‘You say that anyone can kind of pull themselves up by the bootstraps and go. That’s just not true for everyone,’ and I disagree,” Ms. Hollis told me. “I just, to the marrow of my bones, I disagree because there are too many people living in opposition of that belief."
When people say that other people can't pull themselves up by their bootstraps -- those who've been discriminated against, those from from horrible childhoods and backgrounds, those who somehow surmount a freaking mountain of odds -- doesn't that denigrate the people who have done that?
My late mother clawed her way up to Radcliffe College from a terrible childhood, from being unloved/abandoned by her mother, father, and stepfather; from being farmed out to relatives who didn't want her; from being yanked out of one school after another in rural Vermont and Massachusetts in the 1930s and 1940s, and after living for a time in a Vermont orphanage.
I think sometimes we do just have to give credit to human spirit and willpower, and offer them a tip of our hat.
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In 2004, Rachel got married to Dave Hollis -- a stable and successful employee at Warner Brothers & that marriage became her foundation for starting an event planning business among other ventures. So, yeah, when people like Ms. Hollis talk about "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" they overlook the support they have obtained. That isn't to say there is anything wrong with her relationship with her husband and the security it provided for her but it is to say that she did not pull herself up by her own bootstraps. And landing a job as a receptionist at Warner Brothers when you are 19 years old and drop dead gorgeous does indicate certain advantages that Ms. Hollis may have had over many many others including -- let's just be random here -- a newly divorced middle- aged woman with children to support but bags under her eyes. The prosperity gospel preached by Ms. Hollis and the likes of Anthony Robbins as well as the massively adored Abraham (Esther) Hicks all teach a certain kinds of individualism that overlooks social and political facts. In his iconic work, "The Culture of Narcisism" Christopher Lasch wrote, . There are social and political forces that can and do handicap and/or destroy many individuals' lives. The Prosperity gospel of Ms. Hollis & peers cause many people to hate on themselves because they feel they are to blame for all of their circumstances. @johannaclear
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I'd love it if she'd talk about healthy sex messages for children. Study upon study shows that abstinence messages do more harm than good in the short- and long-term. They also leave girls feeling shame about feeling healthy, natural sexual feelings. Sounds like she's the perfect messenger for a large part of the country.
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Why is waking up early something we know we should do? Why does a self-help book need to tell us to wake up early? Everybody is different. Nobody got anywhere by trying to be exactly like everyone else. Wake up when you want to.
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I wonder why so many women ignore the inconsistencies about ways to live supposedly aimed at any women coming from a life of privilege and white skin until I remember who was elected President.
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I read the critical Buzzfeed article and then watched her Amazon Prime documentary with the expectation of rolling my eyes. I was won over. Sure, she's a little cotton candy bubble gum, but it's nice to get a stern, positive talking-to about your potential. The world needs more good vibes and she's serving them up, even to the most cynical DC lawyers like me.
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So we start the artile about how super woman gets up, works out, feeds her kids, does her gratitude and then manages her multiple million dollar business...but we're all supposed to feel better about ourselves reading this?
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She's a total hack. She blames people's unhappiness on what she sees as a lack of a work ethic while completely ignoring the very real and growing number of factors that hold back the working class. How is one supposed to achieve self-fulfillment when the price of insulin and other medications has skyrocketed? What do you say to families in Flint, Michigan or West Virginia who are continually exposed to contaminated water and air, who cannot afford to move anywhere else?
Her appropriation of the black vernacular is inappropriate at best. And her fat-shaming rhetoric directly contradicts the "positive" message she aims for. She literally has said that people who gain weight are untrustworthy because they didn't "commit" to their diet. Never mind that diets don't work.
I don't doubt that she had to work hard to get to where she is. But it's completely naive of her to assume that anyone could put in the same effort and get the same results when the playing field is so un-level, it's more of a minefield. I am white and readily admit white privilege has helped me in many ways, from easily getting jobs and apartments to going unnoticed by the police. I wonder why it's so hard for so many other white people to recognize these advantages.
NYTimes, there are far more interesting people to profile.
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Our culture is so starved for any sort of spirituality (connection, meaning, purpose) that people will throw their money at the newest in a long line of charlatans who successfully tap into that great American myth: that the only thing you need is yourself and some grit.
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Let me get this straight. She moved to Los Angeles after high school, married an executive at 21 before starting her "own" business? So inspiring! *groan*
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“I’m a Christian, but I’m the most liberal Christian ever,” she said. “I want to love everybody. I actually think that’s what Jesus would do.”
AMEN!
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I watched her documentary— and kept waiting to hear something more than banal advice.
She’s watchable. Like a skilled cheerleader. But there’s no there, there
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Remember Cheryl Samberg a few years back? Remember LEAN IN ? What Cheryl and Rachel don't or can't understand is that many women especially poor women or women of color, aren't always responsible for their own happiness. When you are abused and put down your whole life, it's not enough to simply wash your face. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Rachel has never been homeless or on food stamps. And she's probably never had to live in a battered women's shelter. I hate it when rich white privileged women have the audacity to preach to all women. Rachel, keep your advice to yourself. Wash your own face.
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We’re women, not girls.
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This was a solid article, but I am disappointed the author did not include the accusations of plagiarism that surround Rachel Hollis.
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I'm sorry, but it's 2019. Until I see a black, queer or another systemically marginalized person be able to bootstrap this level of success, messages like the one Rachel Hollis is spreading will continue sounding hollow.
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“'I’m a Christian, but I’m the most liberal Christian ever,'” she said." Lol. Seriously? The most liberal Christian of all time is the gentleman who didn't care about labels like liberal or conservative or, indeed, any labels at all. Just ask Mary Magdalene. Stick you writing your uplifting books, Ma'am, and skip making narcissistic descriptions about yourself.
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You go girl!
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Sounds like she married up not pulled herself up
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I used to follow Rachel Hollis on Instagram, and read some of her blog. I liked her - peppy, upbeat, funny. And then I realized that she was actually just capitalizing on my own lack of confidence, internal shame, and desperation to belong somewhere. The longer I was in that state, the more I would tune into her videos, purchase her books, buy tickets to her conferences, etc. She capitalizes off of the exact situation women are experiencing that she is claiming to "fix."
But surely as Rachel would tell you, no one can fix you, and not some stranger on a screen. Certainly not a upper class white woman in America who has yes, worked hard for what they have, but undeniably been given the resources, lack of obstacles and oppression, and lots of luck to do so. What rubs me the wrong way with Rachel is the same as many other critics - she is a white, wealthy woman that believes she is speaking to everyone. She seems to have no understanding of her blindness to intersectionality or how tone deaf her "preaching" is to anyone else who doesn't fit in the same box.
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Rachel Hollis is the ultimate mix of motivator and influencer. Her message resonates with millions of women ages 15-55. Her straight shooting approach provides small actions that we all can take to be more intentional each and every day to live our very best lives.
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I have never heard of Rachel but like her message! Strength for women, esp in the age of Trump, is positive. I believe people live up to or down to your expectations and she's encouraging women (and others too, soon I'd imagine) to try. Failure is ok. Not even trying is not ok.
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