There's no accusations of being a 'bossy boots' in Blake Lively's house, as the Hollywood star has banned the use of the word 'bossy' at home.
The mum of two wants her daughters, James, two, and Inez, 10 months, to grow up to be strong independent women, and believes that avoiding the use of the word will help them to understand that it's okay to be assertive.
The actress admitted that it was actually her husband, Ryan Reynolds, who wanted to ban the word: 'My husband said, "I don't ever want to use that word again. You've never heard a man called bossy".'
Blake, 29, went on to say: 'there would never be any negative connotation for a man being a boss, so to add a negative connotation on a woman being bossy? It's belittling, and it doesn't encourage them to be a boss.'
Another way that the family support their girls, she told Glamour magazine in a recent interview, is to use feminine pronouns. For example, if Ryan Reynolds picks up a caterpillar, he'll ask: 'What's her name?' rather than, 'What's his name?'
She added: '[comedian] Sarah Silverman does a great bit, "Stop telling little girls that they can do anything. They already believe they can do anything. It opens the door for questions..." We're all born feeling perfect until somebody tells us we're not.'
'So there's nothing I can teach my daughter [James]. She already has all of it. The only thing I can do is protect what she already feels.'
The young mum went onto admit she has no idea how to protect that, saying: 'I do know that I have to watch her and listen to her and not project any of my own insecurities or struggles on her.'
Blake and Ryan aren't the only celebs who are raising awareness of these values. Singer Beyoncé famously said of the word that they've banned: 'I'm not bossy. I'm the boss', whilst Jennifer Garner, who shares two daughters and a son with Ben Affleck, explained in a previous interview: 'Feminism is not a thing you teach your kid, it's just the way you live.'
Do you ban certain words in your house? Has Blake made you think twice about the word 'bossy'? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
