Gee, I in no way resemble that. My nicknames may use gender adjectives but I don't consider," Cast Iron B****," nor "Head B**** In Charge" nor "The Balls in That Company" as descriptions of being weak nor emotional.
Let's go back in time. My first job as an associate, only female in all male firm. Cocktail hour rolls around when the rest of the employees leave and the attorneys meet to go over cases pending, conflict issues, business matters...but mostly just drink adult beverages, mostly scotch.
One of the junior partners was from Texas and everytime he said, "hell" or "damn" he'd stop, look over at me and say, "My pardon, Miss."
Now, I know he was being polite and doing what he had always done and been taught to do but I wanted to just be a lawyer in that room during that time every day.
After a few weeks, I had enough (maybe it was the scotch?) and I just blurted out, "G**damnit Mike! Stop f***ing censoring yourself! I can out cuss the f*** out of you any day!"
The other partners and associates burst into laughter and then something else happened. They started taking money out of their wallets. Apparently there was a pool on how long it would take me to blow up for being patronized like that. My mentor, with whom I worked most closely, won.
Several years later, the entire male lawyer firm went on a great elk hunt. Naturally, I was not invited, even though they knew I could outfish them, and could fire guns but, whatever. I did consider bad taste that I was copied on memos for the upcoming titled,"Great ElkKunt" So juvenile, rolled my eyes.
BUT THEN...they got back from their "hunt" (largely canned BTW) and during our scotch hour I was listening to them talking about how their wives were cooking the meat they brought back and discussing spces and cooking methods, etc.
I listened for about 30 minutes, drained my drink and said, "Okay, gentlemen...never thought this would be a Betty Crocker session on recipes. See you tomorrow!"
That caught them flatfooted.