Episode 93: Purity Culture, Respectability Politics, and Online Business with Sydney Montgomery
THE ONLINE BUSINESS SHOW
Purity Culture, Respectability Politics, and Online Business with Sydney Montgomery
Show Notes
Sydney Montgomery is many things: a Princeton grad, a Harvard Law-educated lawyer, and founder of her own booming admission consulting firm. She's also deeply passionate about helping people understand how purity culture and respectability politics impact their life and their work. On today's episode she's sharing how our work is impacted by these cultural forces and what to do about it.
Episode Highlights:
Sydney offers virtual consulting that specializes in helping women and BIPOC students through university and law school admissions processes.
Respectability Politics and Purity Culture are two sides of the same coin, and both theories are rooted in creating a system of conformity which is antithetical to being an entrepreneur
Respectability politics
Definition: The theory that if you, as a minority, appear a certain way, you will be shielded from prejudice and find more acceptance in spaces.
Context: informs decisions going forward, how I think of the future of my business, more conscious part of my brain
Examples: The pressure placed on women and mothers for choosing to spend time on business over domestic work.
Purity culture
Definition: The dominant moral conditioning in American culture that goes deeper than the patriarchy and applies to all people and the way they appear and behave to be considered good and respectable within society.
Context: the conditioning that happened before, more unconscious behind it.
Examples:
How to deconstruct and navigate the effects on yourself and online business
Seek out spaces where you don’t have to choose between being your authentic self and reaching your goals
Learn the importance of practicing discernment and being able to say “no” along with making decisions that won’t make everyone happy.
Every time you say “yes” to something, you’re saying “no” to time you could have spent on something else.
Actively think about what you’re feeling and why you’re feeling it, and consider whether these are legitimate concerns or if they’re societal expectations.
Create more opportunities for open conversations with your partner and teammates about sharing roles and responsibilities to take the pressure off of yourself.
Start and know that it will be scary but do it anyways, and tell at least one friend that you’re starting to do this work.
Read books, connect with coaches, and join a community of peers - know that you don’t have to go through doing this work alone
Tweetable Quotes
“You have to be able to stand firm on your ‘yes’ even if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else.” - Sydney Montgomery
“Own how amazing you are and the right people are going to want to support you and partner with your business just the way you are.” - Sydney Montgomery
“You have gotten the business to where it is and you don’t need to change to get it to the next level.” - Sydney Montgomery
Episode Transcript
About the Host / Guests
Resources
Ibram X. Kendi, How To Be An Anti-Racist
Linda Kay Klein, “Pure”