Illustration by Rebekka Dunlap.
Non-Compete Clause On navigating away from the demands of neoliberal patriarchy By Laurie Penny The Baffler
‘The real menace to our jobs, to our love life and family lives, to our security and identity, is not other women. It never has been, but neoliberal patriarchy reduces every human interaction to the level of savage competition—including sisterhood.’
…
‘Female competition is the sharp edge of internalized sexism and the death of solidarity. Whether it’s sniping and undercutting one another at work or on social media, or that sudden cold shoulder when one of your friends starts to do well, even though you know that this is probably a moment when she needs your support, it’s an intimate poison that eats you from within.’
…
‘If female competition is false consciousness, refusing to compete with other women is about the most personally revolutionary thing you can do with and for feminist liberation right now. Even if female rivalry were nothing more than a “natural” instinct, that’s no excuse to carry on torturing yourself with comparison and cutting other women down. You aren’t actually competing with that girl, whoever she happens to be. You’re competing with the perfect girl who lives in your head and is temporarily wearing someone else’s skin to taunt you. She is always beautiful, always cool, always effortlessly talented, never lonely or embarrassed or unsure.’







