Marissa Mayer is a reluctant heroine. Not only is the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company, she also happens to be a woman. Who also happened to be pregnant in the same year that she climbed to the highest echelons of the corporate world.
Although she got a lot of flak for curtailing her maternity leave to a mere two weeks, Mayer is under further scrutiny for dodging an opportunity to further the plight of the professional woman.
According to an article in Mommyish, Mayer first graced the cover of Fortune in a "svelte black dress without any visible signs of her pregnancy." Apparently when asked to pose for the new "50 most powerful women" cover, she declined. Seems she didn't want to be pictured for the magazine's new issue while pregnant.
So while she had the chance to show the world that a woman can be a powerful corporate presence while simultaneously being a mother, she chose to flout that opportunity, leaving us with those highly sexualized, strategically posed bump shots.
Instead of cracking open the glass ceiling, it seems the Yahoo CEO was content to keep her head down. Disappointing that someone in such a groundbreaking position refused to give us the snapshot that "would have been a very influential and resounding portrait for not just women, but those who employ them."
Not everyone is cut out for the limelight, and I can't totally blame her for being media shy. Having said that, she is a role model to many professional women, whether she likes it or not. She does us all a real disservice by ostensibly sacrificing her maternity leave, and outright denying that she is a feminist (as if the mere suggestion is an insult).
It's great that she has climbed the slippery ladder, but Mayer isn't necessarily making it any easier for those who would follow her example.
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