Queen bee (sociology)
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A queen bee is the leader of a female group, such as a clique. The term has been applied in several social settings.
Businesses
In a business environment, a "queen bee" may also refer to a woman in upper management who advanced in the ranks without the help of any type of affirmative action programs. Many of those executive women tend to be politically conservative and they choose not to publicly identify with feminism. They often see other, usually younger, women as competitors and will refuse to help them advance within a company, preferring to mentor a male over a female employee. Some such "queen bees" may actively take steps to hinder another woman's advancement as they are seen as direct competitors.[1] Such tactics are sometimes referred to as heterophily (in the sense of positive preference and favoritism for opposite-sex colleagues) or the queen bee syndrome.[2]
Schools
A queen bee in a school setting is sometimes referred to as a school diva or school princess. These queen bees are often stereotyped in media as being beautiful, charismatic, manipulative, and wealthy, holding positions of social status, such as being the school cheerleading captain (or the captain of some other, usually an all-girl, sports team), the Homecoming or Prom Queen (or both), or even being the daughter of the school principal or a teacher.[3] The phenomenon of queen bees is common in finishing schools.[4]
Queen bees may wield substantial influence and power over their cliques, and are considered role models by clique members and outsiders. Her actions are closely followed and imitated.[5] Sussana Stern identifies the following qualities as characteristic of queen bees:[6]
- Having an overly-heightened self-esteem, which may lead to arrogance
- Being overly-aggressive, selfish, manipulative and strong-willed
- Behaving as a bully
- Being wealthy and/or "spoiled"
- Being pretty, popular, talented, rich, or privileged
- Being hated by female peers
Fictional portrayals of queen bees in schools include the films Heathers and Mean Girls. The latter was partially adapted from the nonfiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes. The television series Gossip Girl is highlighted for its portrayal of Blair Waldorf as a queen bee, as she has a league of minions for friends and is frequently referred as 'Queen B' by herself and her peers. Another television series Pretty Little Liars is also highlighted for its portrayal of Alison DiLaurentis as queen bee, as she has a clique, seems to be bossy and mean to people who are not her friends, and everyone treats her as a Queen. She is sometimes referred as 'Queen Ali'.
See also
References
- ^ "Article". Timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-02-23. (subscription required)
- ^ Cooper, Virginia W. (1997). "Homophily or the Queen Bee Syndrome: Female Evaluation of Female Leadership". Small Group Research. 28 (4). Sage Publications: 483–499. doi:10.1177/1046496497284001. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ^ Tracy, K. (2003) The Girl's Got Bite: The Original Unauthorized Guide to Buffy's World. Macmillan. p 37.
- ^ Raines, J.M. (2003) Beautylicious!: The Black Girl's Guide to the Fabulous Life. Harlem Moon Publishers. p 13.
- ^ Wiseman, Rosalind (9 December 2011). "Girls' Cliques: What Role Does Your Daughter Play?". iVillage. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ^ Stern, Sussana (2001) Sexual Selves on the World Wide Web: Adolescent Girls' Home Pages as Sites for Sexual Self-Expression; Sexual Teens, Sexual Media, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Further reading
- Dickinson, Amy (13 May 2002). "Taming the Teen Queen Bee". Time. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- Shearin Karres, Erika V. (2004). Mean Chicks, Cliques, And Dirty Tricks: A Real Girl's Guide to Getting Through the Day with Smarts and Style. Avon, MA: Adams Media. ISBN 1580629334.
- Simmons, Rachel (2002). Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls. New York: Harcourt. ISBN 0151006040.
- Wiseman, Rosalind (2002). Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence. New York: Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 0609609459.