Rent The Runway’s Post

This Women’s History Month, our CEO & Co-Founder, Jennifer Hyman, is thinking about the change we need to see to get more women to the top in the corporate world. For decades women have had the professional qualifications for upward mobility in their careers, but progress has been too slow. Jenn believes that a key accelerant for women in the workplace is a vocal community of advocates that publicly champion our successes and accomplishments. However, studies show that women are less likely to self-promote their professional accolades than their male counterparts — and because they talk less about themselves, their accomplishments become less visible. Rent the Runway is looking to change the conversation by encouraging women to show off — so that their professional victories become more seen and talked about. It’s this very self-promotion that will enable women to more quickly ascend the corporate ladder. Today, we are hoping to kick off a virtuous cycle of lifting women up through public recognition on LinkedIn. During March, Rent the Runway is gifting $1M in free one month subscriptions of our most popular 10-item plan to women who have recently experienced a recent professional accomplishment that deserves celebrating. You can either self-nominate by commenting on Jenn’s post and sharing an accolade you've recently achieved at work… or you can nominate a friend who’s recently experienced a professional win and tell her story, too. #RTRShowOff #IWD2024

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Jennifer Hyman Jennifer Hyman is an Influencer

CEO, Co-Founder and Chair of the Board at Rent the Runway

In honor of Women’s History Month #IWD2024, Rent The Runway is gifting $1M in subscriptions to women who have recently experienced something awesome in their careers – a promotion, new job, successful launch, etc. The process is easy: self-nominate by commenting on this post and sharing a professional milestone you've recently achieved or nominate a friend and tell her story. One month ago, I had my third baby. I received more positive affirmation and congratulatory sentiment when I shared my son’s birth than I did when I IPO’ed Rent the Runway in 2021. While I appreciate the love of my community, it was a lot easier to give birth than to become the 30th female founder/CEO to take a company public. But, this all makes sense within the context of our culture. We celebrate women more for personal accomplishments than for professional ones. And, as a result, women often feel more comfortable sharing their personal milestones over their professional ones. Sharing an engagement story is the lifeblood of the group chat whereas sharing a big launch at work might feel anything from strange to showing off. As a little girl, there is almost nothing worse than being called a showoff. For girls, bragging is the quickest way to lose friends and become an object of scorn. It’s in the water: be humble, do great things but wait for someone else to recognize them. I was called a showoff as a kid and it stung, but what I remember most is that this insult was almost only used by girls for other girls. Why this matters is that fast forward to the world of work and promoting women’s accomplishments is critical to our continued workplace advancement. Historical performance is a prerequisite – but as you get more senior in an organization, the more you need a community of people singing your praises to get to the next level. Think of this as a personal net promoter score: the more people willing to promote you loudly, the quicker you’ll rise. I believe that if becoming a C-level executive was based on performance alone, closer to 50% of the C-suite would be female. But because it is also based on how we storytell about ourselves and others, women are but a fraction of our leadership.  The more that public celebration of women’s professional accomplishments becomes normalized, the more opportunities we’ll receive. RTR will also be committing $1M in GMV* to Dress for Success Worldwide to ensure that even more women have the attire and confidence they need to excel professionally. How you can nominate a woman (or yourself!) for one free month of RTR’s 10-item plan: - Tag a deserving woman’s name on this post, mention your or her recent accomplishment, and use the hashtag #RTRShowOff - This offer is for new customers only, who are based in the US Valid thru 3/31 or while supplies last, whichever is sooner. US, 18+, new subscribers only. 1 per person. Subscription auto-renews unless canceled/paused. Terms apply: bit.ly/RTRShowOff *Based on MSRP

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Nivea Leavell

Driving Data-Driven Content and Community Engagement Strategies | FDC Consultants

9mo

Rent The Runway I nominate myself Nivea Leavell This year has been a profound journey as I endeavor to establish a holistic wellness center dedicated to empowering women through self-development and trauma recovery. Fueled by the tragic loss of my dear friend to domestic violence, I am driven to create a sanctuary where all women, regardless of their economic circumstances, can find healing and support. Teaming up with @RentTheRunway to extend this empowerment is a significant step forward. #Empowerment #iwd2024 #RTRShowOff

Ashley Cullinane

Director of Communications

9mo

Hi #RTRShowOff! You commented to DM you but I don’t have a message button where I normally do. Could you initiate the message? 😊

Serena Bowen

Championing Advisor Success | Marketing Strategist, Growth Driver, and Proud Soccer Mom

9mo

I nominate Kelly Coulter for her outstanding leadership as Head of Marketing at Private Advisor Group . Her dedication to our financial advisors, demonstrated through personalized consulting, a recent brand refresh for a newly recruited firm, and mentorship, has been instrumental in not only our team's success, but the success of our advisor community. Kelly's strategic vision and commitment to excellence make her a valuable asset to our organization. Everyone needs a cheerleader like Kelly on their team. #RTRshowoff

I would like to nominate myself! I don’t usually brag about my accomplishments. But I just had my annual review and was rated exceptional which is the highest rating in my company. I’m proud of the work I do, I calculate and advise on sales compensation. I also was rated exceptional while I took a 14 week leave to give birth and bond with my third baby. I’m so proud that I set up my team for success while I was out and that my company recognized you can be exceptional even if you go out on leave. 

Bhakti Patel

Wire Design Engineer, Boeing Converted Freighters

9mo

I’d like to nominate myself, Bhakti Patel for re-entering the job force in my field (aerospace engineering) after being away for 8 years. Not only was I persistent in applying and pursuing an job in my field, I quickly realized that I was hired into a role that I was over qualified for so I internally applied for a role that was better suited for me. Despite “not being my hiring manager’s first choice” I was hired, almost doubled my starting salary, and have been in my current position for over a year. In our recent annual performance review, I got positive feedback and was told I was “my teammates enjoy working with me.”

Emily Greene

Political Strategist/Field Director/Victim Advocate

9mo

#RTRWshowoff I’m really proud of my accomplishments as an organizer and advocate in my state of Georgia, where issues such as healthcare - specifically the maternal mortality rate - often get put on the back burner, and we have to continue to fight for change. I’m most proud of the team I lead who work so hard to make a difference in their communities, and inspire others to get involved, too. The work never ends! 

Weng Seng Tam

Cybersecurity SME | The opinions and views expressed from this profile are mine unless stated otherwise.

9mo

Sexist memes like this shame and hurt men. It assumes that only women should be allowed to "lean in" and apply for jobs that they are not overqualified to perform. I have personally seen how these stereotypes influence the way that people talk about men. We all know that this is complete and utter nonsense. Every man is a unique individual and our behaviours are not defined by our genitals. Personality types and neurodiversity is not determined by gender or race. Ironically, sexist memes like this also harm women, because it ignores the great achievements of all the women who are applying for jobs when they do not meet the requirements. It pretends that women are helpless and powerless beings that need rescue. It encourages young girls to feel helpless and powerless unless rescued by some special program. This is a vain and foolish attempt to end sexism by creating sexist tropes backed by questionable Science and statistics. Then people wonder why the world is experiencing more and more sexism. Maybe because we cannot end sexism with more sexism. We are reaping the hell that people have chosen to sow. Thanks a lot.

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Lauren Lopacinski

Assistant Manager, Internal Communications at Richemont

9mo

#RTRShowOff I nominate myself Lauren Lopacinski in celebration of my own #iwd2024 campaign concept being a success! I engaged women across our region to, much like this post, shout out another woman within the organization that inspires them, and give a small testimony on what it is they admire most about their nominee. The tricky part was building a chain of responses by asking each nominee to then nominate someone, so it would create a fun popcorn effect while still being diverse and inclusive. We were concerned about the response rate we would receive, and how long we would be able to keep the chain going, but it turned out to be longer than we even planned for and continued building in the comments of the post on IWD. It was truly wonderful to see the mutual appreciation and support the women in our region have for each other💗

Here's to celebrating and amplifying women and their professional victories - this month and every month. 🎉

Lacie Kinkaid

Senior Marketing Manager | Expertise in Driving Strategic Growth & Market Leadership Through Innovative Solutions

9mo

I nominate myself after being laid off after maternity leave and jumping into finding another job 3-months later while raising my first little one. I’m so proud of not letting it get me down in a “down” job market, continuing to hone my skills, network, and empower myself to keep pushing through every “no” because I’d never want my daughter to feel discouraged is she ever faces the same adversity. I just landed a wonderful job that is so considerate of my situation and I look forward to dressing up for in-office days with Rent The Runway. Praying for everyone searching for a job right now. I believe in you and most importantly, I’m here for you.

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