A queen bee is the leader of a female group, such as a clique. The term has been applied in several social settings.
Businesses
In a business environment, a "queen bee" may also refer to a woman in upper management who advanced in the ranks without the help of any type of affirmative action programs. Many of those executive women tend to be politically conservative and they choose not to publicly identify with feminism. They often see other, usually younger, women as competitors and will refuse to help them advance within a company, preferring to mentor a male over a female employee. Some such "queen bees" may actively take steps to hinder another woman's advancement as they are seen as direct competitors. Such tactics are sometimes referred to as heterophily (in the sense of positive preference and favoritism for opposite-sex colleagues) or the queen bee syndrome.
Schools
A queen bee in a school setting is sometimes referred to as a school diva or school princess. These queen bees are often stereotyped in media as being beautiful, charismatic, manipulative, and wealthy, holding positions of high social status, such as being head cheerleader (or being the captain of some other, usually an all-girl, sports team), the Homecoming or Prom Queen (or both), or even being the daughter of the principal or a teacher. The phenomenon of queen bees is common in finishing schools.
Queen bees may wield substantial influence and power over their cliques, and are considered role models by clique members and outsiders. Her actions are closely followed and imitated. Sussana Stern identifies the following qualities as characteristic of queen bees:
- Having an overly-heightened self-esteem, which may lead to arrogance
- Being overly-aggressive, selfish, manipulative and strong-willed
- Behaving as a bully
- Being wealthy and/or "spoiled"
- Being pretty, popular, talented, rich, or privileged
- Being hated by peers (mainly female peers)
Fictional portrayals of queen bees in schools include the films Heathers and Mean Girls. The latter was partially adapted from the nonfiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes. The television series Gossip Girl is highlighted for its portrayal of Blair Waldorf as a queen bee, as she has a league of minions for friends and is frequently referred as 'Queen B' by her peers. Another television series Pretty Little Liars is also highlighted for its portrayal of Alison DiLaurentis as queen bee, as she has a clique, seems to be bossy and mean to people who are not her friends, and everyone treats her as a Queen. She is sometimes referred as 'Queen Ali'. Quinn Fabray from Glee is also described as "queen bee".
See also
- Elitism
- Narcissism
- Spoiled child
- Valley girl
References
Further reading
- Dickinson, Amy (13 May 2002). "Taming the Teen Queen Bee". Time. Retrieved 3 December 2012.Â
- Shearin Karres, Erika V. (2004). Mean Chicks, Cliques, And Dirty Tricks: A Real Girl's Guide to Getting Through the Day with Smarts and Style. Avon, MA: Adams Media. ISBNÂ 1580629334.Â
- Simmons, Rachel (2002). Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls. New York: Harcourt. ISBNÂ 0151006040.Â
- Wiseman, Rosalind (2002). Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence. New York: Crown Publishing Group. ISBNÂ 0609609459.Â