After claiming the spotlight in this year’s Follies production at Columbia Business School (CBS), a parody created by CBS students of Meghan Trainor’s hit song “All About That Bass” went viral last week on BuzzFeed. With the title “Bitch in Business,” the mildly NSFW video is described by its three MBA student producers as “a love letter to all the badass bitches who aren’t afraid to be themselves in the business world.”
The students’ feminist anthem levels playful criticism at the entrenched sexism of business culture by calling out gender disparities and unequal professional expectations of women and men. “She’s really talented, but she comes on too strong and should be less abrasive,” the song begins, aping familiar double standards women tend to face in the business arena.
Bloomberg Businessweek‘s Francesca Levy reserved some skepticism for the video’s merit in combating sexism, gibing, “We’re happy to see a highly ranked business school take these issues seriously.” The Huffington Post was more sanguine about the effectiveness of the parody’s message, explaining, “If a woman is viewed as too ‘abrasive’ or too ‘pushy,’ she runs the risk of being labelled a bitch, but those same qualities in a man might brand him as a strong leader. Everyday sexism at its finest.”
To learn more about the CBS Follies and social and community activities at 15 other top MBA programs, check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides.
