These women called "difficult" because they did not want to conform to stereotypes<

It is often considered that being difficult is a bad character trait, but for you, it is a quality. Can you explain this paradox and the link between the different women you mention in your book?

The title of the book does not mention the innuendos that surround the term "difficult". Strong, passionate, determined women don't strut around saying, "Look, I'm picky." They are just living their life. This term “difficult” is used by others to describe these women. If you don't care what people think, you'll be seen as a difficult woman because you're not doing what's expected of you. A difficult woman is therefore a woman who does not do what she should, a woman who is inconvenient, or a woman who considers her own needs, goals and desires to be as important as those of others. One of the book's early reviewers told me the bar was set pretty low. I thanked him for emphasizing this point for me. It doesn't take much to be perceived as a difficult woman. That's why there are so many of us [laughs].

In this book, I talk about 29 women. Each of these women has a very specific character. I therefore focused on this aspect of their personalities to write the book. Look at Rachel Maddow, she's a very smart person. And very often, a woman who is not afraid to show that she is intelligent can be seen as difficult. People say to themselves, “Who does this know-it-all lady think she is? ".

The first person I talk about in the book is J.K. Rowling, whom I call the “fighter.” A person like her could have rested on her laurels, continued to develop the Harry Potter franchise or written mystery novels. But she decided to be active on Twitter, to challenge people, to tell her truth and she sometimes pays the price. But she's like that, she needs to express herself, no matter the consequences.

If you wanted to know how to catch a leprechaun, check out our thematic writing activity. These grade 3s had some v… https://t.co/9vGnJWZMJe

Mon Mar 15 20:39:53 +0000 2021

Jane Goodall is one of National Geographic's best-known explorers. Can you tell us about when she stood her ground in the face of criticism from her male superiors? Why is self-confidence so important for a woman?

Jane Goodall is one of my first idols. My parents subscribed to National Geographic and before I could even read, I was turning the pages of the magazine and looking at photographs of Jane Goodall in Africa, crouching in her khaki clothes, talking to a chimpanzee. Let's not forget her journey: she is one of the 8 people to have been authorized to do a doctorate at Cambridge even though she did not have a degree. Everything she knew, she had learned in the field.

Imagine how intimidated she must have been when she met the Cambridge professors. They made fun of her a little because she absolutely wanted to give names to chimpanzees and because she advanced that these animals had a specific social structure, but also personalities specific to each individual. At the time, this idea was completely absurd. They then told her that she had reverted to childhood, to which she replied, "Anyone who owns a dog knows that an animal has its own personality." It took a lot of courage for her to tell these teachers that she knew what she knew and that despite their background, their authority and their power, she was not going to change her mind.