Beauty as a Currency with Maggie Campbell
Welcome back to another episode of Born On Third. This week on the show we welcome Maggie Campbell; a leader in the spirit industry, an expert in rum distilling, and an advocate for women.
In this episode, Maggie addresses the pushback she has experienced as a woman in the distillery industry. She acknowledges the role pretty privileged played in advancing her career while also juxtaposing the declining effect it has as accepted conventional beauty standards begin to fade. All things considered, Maggie’s championing for women’s progress in the spirit industry has materialized at Mount Gay where over 50% of women are in managerial position and with an even higher diversity average.
Key Takeaways:
- White saviorism is not the same helping. It promotes unsolicited “rescuing” of marginalized communities and only benefits the ego of the white savior complex ideology
- Modern segregation in Barbados Barbados is almost nonexistent. Whereas segregation in America is intentional and is clearly defined in each neighborhood
- America is an individual-centered culture and Barbados is a community-centered culture
Episode Highlights:
[00:50] Introduction to Maggie Campbell
[02:49] What base do you think you were born on?
[05:00] Pretty privilege
[07:51] Body and size cultures
[10:41] Community organizing
[13:00] The Trevor Project
[15:25] Getting into rum
[19:40] Pushback as a woman in the industry
[24:20] Moving from Boston to Barbados
[31:37] Difference in justices between America and Barbados
[36:41] Welcoming culture of Barbados
[39:07] Recognizing the difference in segregation
[43:33] Safety in work environments
[47:00] Transition into moving internationally
[52:51] What base do you think you’re on now?
[55:33] Connect with Maggie
Quotes:
- “Beauty as a currency”
- “In our language [and] in our daily lives we tie so much to being thin”
- “The desire to police other people is something I’ve gained a lot perspective on since moving outside of the United States”
- “Trying to bring the same respect that people have for scotch to the rum world is hard because there is a level colonization and exploitation in the history of rum”
- “There’s a big difference between white saviorism and actually truly helping someone shine”
- “Friends of many, satellites of none”