Watch Gwyneth Paltrow, Kerry Washington, Anna Wintour & More Team Up For Tory Burch's Women's Day Campaign

Why is an ambitious woman considered unacceptable?

POSTED BY ALLISON EDWARDS

The statistics on women in positions of power are pretty bleak. In the United States, women only make up only 17 percent of Congress, and even less hold high-level management positions— a mere 4 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are female. Worst of all, often-times when women are assertive in male-dominated environments, they are perceived in a very negative light. 

To address the issues women face in society today, Tory Burch created a new campaign to ask why the word “ambition” is viewed negatively in regards to women. Coinciding with International Women’s Day and the women’s strike, Tory Burch brought together an all-star cast of influential women (and men) to challenge obstructive stereotypes. Helping spread the message is Julianne Moore, Kerry Washington, Reese Witherspoon, Yara Shahidi, Gwyneth Paltrow, Diane Kruger, Gabby Douglas, Sheryl Sandberg, Anna Wintour, Melinda Gates, and of course Tory Burch herself. 

The idea for the video stemmed from Burch’s own experience avoiding powerful labels. “In my first interview with the New York Times in 2004, when the reporter mentioned the word ‘ambitious,’ I commented that the word annoyed me," Burch shared. "A friend of mine said, ‘You should never shy away from that word.’ She was right.” 

To participate in the #EmbraceAmbition campaign, visit embraceambition.org to take the pledge to share your own ambitions on social media. Additionally, you can purchase Tory Burch’s Embrace Ambition T-shirts and bracelets, and 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Tory Burch Foundation, which seeks to empower female entrepreneurs across the world. 

Watch the video above to learn more. 

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