What to Wear to Work (and Home): Meena Harris, Founder and CEO, Phenomenal
In our bi-weekly series, we ask female executives, founders, CEOs - basically boss ladies - about their "power suits," or easy-to-wear clothes they wear every day to beat any job.
When Meena Harris started selling "Phenomenal Woman (opens in new tab)" t-shirts (inspired by Maya Angelo's famous poem), she wasn't thinking of building a social justice empire; it was right after the 2016 election: Harris was then working for Uber and running a small T-shirt business on the side. She planned to sell a few hundred shirts and raise money for women's organizations. On the first day, she sold 2,500 shirts.
In hindsight, this was a natural path for Harris. Her interest in activism and entrepreneurship can be traced back to her childhood.
"Everything I do I owe to three wonderful, strong women [in my family]. 'I have the example of my mother and my aunt, who were public interest lawyers. My grandmother was not a public servant, but she was a breast cancer researcher and mentored students of color in her lab at UC Berkeley. She taught me the meaning of the word boycott when I was four years old."
Harris was constantly reminded by her family that she could do and be anything she wanted (the aforementioned aunt was, after all, Kamala Harris, a United States Senator and former Democratic presidential candidate). Harris says she has a duty and responsibility to help others in any way she can: she was one of the lawyers who gathered at the airport (opens in new tab) to support the impact of President Trump's 2017 ban on refugees and citizens (opens in new tab) from certain Muslim countries. When she was reading a picture book to her daughters and noticed the lack of diverse characters similar to her own children, she wrote her own book, "Kamala and Maya's Big Idea" (opens in new tab), drawing inspiration from her mother and aunt.
"If you commit to making a difference, just do it," she says. The important thing is that each of us, in our own way, can contribute." You don't have to be a full-time activist or run for office. We can start small, commit, and build on it." [Like her T-shirt business. It has grown into the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign (open in new tab). Harris and her team were often busy launching initiatives in response to breaking news and finding ways to continually amplify the voices and work of nonprofit partners, including Black Futures Lab. Here, Harris shares with us about her personal life and work-from-home style. Of course, she wears her "Phenomenal Woman (opens in new tab)" t-shirt 24/7.
"It's a unique situation (in our family) where traditional gender roles are reversed. My partner Nick is a full time father and I work full time on phenomenal. Nick has been in the tech field his whole life, but after our second child was born, we decided to take some time to think about our next steps. He says, "I've been working a lot, because laundry, work, Zoom, it's all a full time job.
An important part of our regular routine is setting our older daughter's hair (opens in new tab). For kids with straight hair, just brushing it takes 5 minutes. But for textured hair, it's completely different. Moisturizing, parting, braiding, it's all a lot of work. (For curly hair, sleeping on cotton pillows can dry out the hair and cause it to break). ) However, our morning routine has mostly gone out the window, except for breakfast."
"When I don't have many meetings, I dress casually. If I have meetings with people outside the office, I dress more sophisticatedly in jeans, a T-shirt, and a blazer. One of my favorite workwear companies is Argent (opens in new tab). They make workwear for women accessible, because when you reach for the item, you don't feel like it's formal. I don't wear heels unless I have to, like when I'm speaking on a panel or going to a reception. I'm someone who always wears tennis shoes or flats and mixes high-low, like a blazer with Adidas sandals."
"On my most casual days at work, I wear a Phenomenal shirt. It's so comfortable and cozy, I have about 20 of them that I reach for every day. There's an element of surprise and joy in this shirt. It's a great message, and I can sleep in it, work out in it, and it looks great on Zoom Cole."
[With the T-shirt] I wear Zella leggings. I purposely wear workout leggings when I want to remind myself to workout. I am also into muumuu housedresses. Mara Hoffman makes flowing dresses, many of which are meant for swimwear, like cover-ups, but they can also be used as housedresses. I don't want to be tight with my clothes. Another brand is Carly Cushnie, and she has a partnership with Target (opens in new tab). [Harwell Godfrey hoops, Phenomenal shirt, glasses, and hair tied into a bun. When I'm on camera, I wear makeup."
"My power costume is confidence, style, and thinking my outfit is the best.
"'No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.' Another is, "Fuck the haters."
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