Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's feminist manifesto/having-it-all guide Lean In comes out on Monday, and already we are approaching saturation point. Time magazine's contribution: a cover image of Sandberg dressed and posed like Michelle Obama, superimposed with the words DON'T HATE HER BECAUSE SHE'S SUCCESSFUL. The online version of the cover is distractingly high-resolution, offering an intimate view of Sheryl Sandberg's feet.
So it's decided, then. We are ready to start obsessing about every single aspect of this woman and her life.
The accompanying articles include a Lean In excerpt and a profile written by Belinda Luscombe. In Luscombe's profile, Sandberg defends Marissa Mayer's ban on working from home: "I think flexibility is important for women and for men. But there are some jobs that are superflexible and some that aren’t." We learn that Sheryl Sandberg is "an ardent listmaker." She talks with her hands. Mark Zuckerberg says she has "an extremely high IQ and EQ." She enjoys playing Settlers of Catan. She has a hand-drawn card from her kid on her desk. Her favorite movie is The Shawshank Redemption, which is interesting because it's the first time I've ever heard of a female Shawshank obsessive. Usually Shawshank fans are men with a desire for persecution and a latent lust for brutality, as noted in an episode of Cougar Town:
No, I do not personally watch Cougar Town. Yes, I am ashamed to bring Cougar Town into a discussion of an ultrasuccessful woman who is "embarking on the most ambitious mission to reboot feminism and reframe discussions of gender since the launch of Ms. Magazine in 1971." No, probably not as ashamed as I should be. Finding new things to say about Sheryl Sandberg is hard.
Yes, I also find it strange that Cougar Town's titular cougar appears to be dating a middle-aged guy in that clip.
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