Beauty Full Stories with Erin's Faces

42. Should I Suffer in Order to Succeed? with Joanna Carpenter

Erin Williams of Erin's Faces Episode 42

Whether it is over our weight, our jobs, or our appearances, women are generally told they have not lived up to societal expectations, and this can often cause shame. Rather than be bogged down by this, our guest today, Joanna Carpenter uses these feelings as a springboard to question the status quo. 

Joanna is an actor, singer, community organizer, and diversity, equity, and inclusion educator. In this episode, Joanna talks about working in hospitality and why she is such a strong advocate for underrepresented groups who work in this space. Growing up in the industry meant that Joanna was exposed to the space’s shortcomings early on. She has since used her voice on behalf of those who are not able to. We talk about how women, particularly women of color, absorb shame and face the disproportionate brunt of a  system that can be sexist, classist, and racist. Joanna also shares her frustration at the marketing of health and wellness products during the pandemic, the pressures she felt as a Chinese-American performer, the idea that women have to be small and soft to be desirable, and the lessons she has learned from her difficult childhood and relationships. Joanna’s value in standing out rather than trying to fit in is well worth hearing.  

Our email this week (51:53) is about which ingredients you want to avoid if you want to go clean with your lipstick, lip gloss, and lip balms. These include petroleum, its derivatives, fragrance, and FD&C dyes.

Call Outs from the Episode: 

Tweetables:

 “Shaming exists not only everywhere, but shaming also exists on a spectrum.” — @thejoannac [0:11:56]

 “Women absorb the toxicity of an inherently classist and sexist system, especially women of color, on a level that is difficult to empathize with if you are not in those groups.” — @thejoannac [0:14:41]

 “There’s a sect of society that spans across socio-economics, demographics, race, ethnicities, and upbringings that is just so threated by the idea of women not only being mentally powerful, but also being physically powerful.” — @thejoannac [0:26:20]

 “Toxic masculinity involves shutting down any potentially open door to vulnerability.” — @thejoannac [0:29:41]

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