Barista Magazine

JUN-JUL 2016

Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005

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ones who are not hypermasculine or comfortable in that setting. It provides another example of how having these conversations about women doesn't just support women. It supports our entire community. "In general, the presence of one gender or one culture limits the intelligence of conversation, and it's really stunting our industry," Talor adds. Then how do we stop ourselves from being stunted? "You know," says Candice, "what you rarely see are people who don't shout that are given space. We don't need someone who shouts to talk for us; we just need to be given the space. We need more inclusive spaces. We need a better understanding of things like the psychology of women in the workplace, especially [for those] in positions of authority. Teach yourself. Take a class. People still seem shocked when women can do things, but we're out there doing amazing things. Learn from that." I'd like to go back an earlier comment suggesting that this article is not intended to chide readers. It is not intended to accuse the cisgender male. Talor reminds us, "I am not suggesting that sexism is writ into the structure of the competition." Rather, she suggests that when a person does not see themselves represented somewhere, it begins to feel like that place is not for you, and you choose not to compete. Now, if qualified people are not even entering competitions, that doesn't sound like true competition to me. "There has to be a concerted effort," says Trish. "It's not enough to just put up a listing for a competition or a job. People will still feel like they have no option because they only see men in certain positions." Or sometimes, they are even told it's not really an option. In a discussion about women and barista competitions, Talor remembers someone saying to her, "Women just don't shine the way men do." During my conversation with Talor, I was reminded of this year's Academy Awards show and host Chris Rock's speech joking about the entirely white list of nominees. "Hey, if you want black nominees every year, you need to just have black categories," he said. "You already do it with men and women. Think about it: There's no real reason for there to be a man and a woman category in acting. C'mon. There's no reason. It's not track and field. You don't have to separate 'em. You know, Robert De Niro's never said, 'I better slow this acting down, so Meryl Streep can catch up.'" Should we have categories for male and female baristas? Isn't it a bit rigged if women "just don't shine the way men do?" If we collectively find that notion ridiculous, then we should also find it ridiculous that women are noticeably underrepresented in barista competition winner's circles. Furthermore, if women or non-hypermasculine men are actually avoiding competition, that's a problem. They are reacting to having been collectively shown that the competition is not really for them. We need to actively come together in the industry and make a place for them, and respond strongly to specific challenges women face in specific settings, like harassment behind the counter. If we don't believe that there should be men's and women's categories for barista champions, then we need to make women feel more welcome and let them know the competition is for them, too, by representing them. We need to let women know they can speak up without fear of being told they're being nitpicky, insecure, crazy. We've got to start understanding, and actively do coffee better. We're glad to have talked with a few people for this article who seem already to be doing just that. "As women I think we need to be encouraging people to see things from more sides. These things are complicated. Everyone has a different threshold of comfort." —Teresa von Fuchs, Irving Farm Coffee Roasters; New York City PHOTOS BY MAYITA MENDEZ 63 www.baristamagazine.com

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