Thank you so much for writing this. As an ad girl on the account side, I hate to say, it’s pretty much the same over here, too. I’ve had some great mentors, male and female, but I’ve also had my ideas stolen and presented by a male boss as his own, I’ve been asked to apologize to a man 15 years my senior for “hurting his feelings” when I asked him to stop interrupting me and my female colleagues, I’ve been referred to as “the girl” more times than I can count (I am currently 46 years old). Perhaps I should have known what I was in for, though, when my very first client asked me to come to his house, so we could to discuss his account. In his hottub. I was 21 years old, he was in his 40s. Oh, and his dad was my boss.

That said, my favorite thing about this business is how women help other women. My greatest achievenments are not the campaigns I led (although they are award-winning and kick-ass), but in the successes of the women I’ve been lucky enough to mentor. There are total dicks out there, for sure, but every year, there are more and more amazing women, like yourself, who are speaking up and speaking out. Keep doing both, and so will I, fellow difficult ad person with lady parts.

XOXO