Popular Australian journalist Tracey Spicer is calling for women to challenge their ‘expected’ role in society and speak up on entrenched gender discrimination.
In this interview with The Constant Investor, fresh from the success of her ‘femoir’ The Good Girl Stripped Bare, Tracey Spicer shares why she isn’t afraid to speak her mind or strip off while giving a TEDx talk.
Her commentary on sexism has rallied support and drawn criticism but she’s stuck out the trolls and stuck with the message; it’s time for women to shake off the good girl label and challenge their ‘expected’ role in society.
Inspiring women to take charge of their money matters is a topic close to Tracey’s heart.
“I still worry that we’re going to see a generation of women retiring in poverty because they don’t have enough superannuation”.
“It’s really important that women get good financial advice so they can be independent in their later years”.
Tracey’s book, The Good Girl Stripped Bare has been described as ‘a full-frontal ‘femoir’.
“It’s all about how we grow up as good girls, wanting to do the right thing, we want to do what our employer expects us to do and positions of authority and society tell us to do”.
She’s previously admitted that during her 16 years at Network 10 she never asked for a pay rise, wanting to be the ‘good girl’.
The idea for The Good Girl Stripped Bare was inspired when she was sacked by Network 10, weeks after returning from maternity leave with her second child.
“All of a sudden I thought, you try to be the good girl, you try to do the right thing, and we’re still treated like this in the workplace”.
“It really is a gift, to diversify and be your own boss. I think women can be that, whether they’re in a workplace or they have their own business. It’s all about thinking about your own ethical structure, what you’re passionate about, what’s important and following that. Being your own role model”.
Being a good role model for her daughter is just as important. While working in roles in front of the camera, Tracey would spend hours and hundreds of dollars on her weekly beauty regime.
All that changed one morning after a question from her daughter during her usual morning ritual.
“My daughter was about seven at the time and she was watching me put on makeup when I was working at Sky News. She said ‘Mum, why do women wear make-up and men don’t?’ and I didn’t have a good answer for her.”
The conversation inspired Tracey to pen the article Deconstructing The Beauty Myth on why her $200 a week beauty routine had become oppressive.
Her with and without makeup photographs with the article went viral.
She may have been the target of vicious internet trolls but it’s clear the opinions of this popular Aussie journalist won’t be swayed.
Tracey Spicer is a woman on a mission to speak up in support of gender equality and lighter makeup bags for women everywhere.
Listen to the full interview at The Constant Investor or on iTunes
