The Salespeople<br >Always Called Me J<br >Whether you re young or old， black or white<br >class， or poor， single or married， extrovert or<br >can learn to be an assertive woman. In my ow<br >aged the switch from the mouse I was to the m<br >dreamed of being--but never dared to try--w~<br >forty， had spent twenty-one years in the same j<br >time of rationalizing "If I do this， he/she won t 1<br > My particular history of "patsyism" stcmme<br >hood. My mother brainwashed me. She brou~<br >fairy stories where heroines neither toiled nor<br >coveted by handsome princes. Her particular<br >Lewis Carroll s Classic Sylvie and Bruno， in whi<br >8he must choose between "All must love Sylvk<br >will love all." So I grew up feelfng that I must<br >and that everyone must love me.<br > Mother had certain inviolate ideas which sh<br >me. Girls were supposed to be ladylike， turn tl~<br >whenever conflict occurred， "not be selfish，" ant<br >three objectives: popularity， a college degree，<br >other dictum was "Please men." That meant<br >you were "too intelligent" or "too strong." <br ><br >