Forgetting My Name is a Microaggression

Once is excusable. Twice is impolite, maybe even slightly offensive. Three times signals my lack of importance or value in your mind.

(Image created by the author using Midjourney.)

Where I’m Coming From
As a middle-aged, white, professional woman, I’ve spent decades in the workforce. The decades of work experience are not unique, and unfortunately, the discrimination I have encountered (both outright and on the down low) is not a rare experience either. (For reference, I worked in department stores in college, newspapers during and after college, a point-of-purchase company doing marketing, and an envelope manufacturer selling envelopes, before landing a position with an insurance industry media company and then starting my own niche public relations (PR) firm.)

All that said, especially considering I now run my own successful business, one might be tempted to think, “This isn’t the 1950s. Was her experience really so bad?”

The overall answer is “No. It wasn’t.”

Either because of my “whiteness,” my education, or some other unknown factor, I steadily climbed the corporate ladder until I ran into a venture capital (VC) situation that prompted me to branch out on my own. During my career, I have been fortunate to be in many rooms where…