Alex Cooper is a woman (very much) in the public eye, and as a result, people are going to have misconceptions about her—it's unfortunately inevitable.
In a new cover story for Marie Claire's Mogul Issue, Cooper shared what she thinks the biggest misconception about her is, and her answer will not only help you know the podcast host and entrepreneur a little better, but also really make you think about how we as a collective view powerful women.
"I think people don't see as much—understandably because of the empire I'm trying to build—I'm a very easygoing, funny, weird person. I love to joke around. I love to have fun," Cooper explains.
On a more global level, the Unwell founder believes the way people perceive her has a lot to do with how people think of women generally.
"As a woman in media, it's very hard to present yourself in a way that is digestible for everyone," she says.
"As we know, as two women sitting here, it's very challenging to see some men in the media say things. I always joke to my friends, Imagine if I said that? I would literally be canceled. I would be considered a bitch. I would be considered an egomaniac. There's this fine line that I think I've had to toe of what I want to show and present, because I genuinely still believe, sadly, that the world thinks that women can only still be one dimensional."
Cooper gets really frustrated with how she's portrayed at times, because she doesn't feel it reflects the truth of who she is, or what she's trying to do in the world.
"A lot of times, I'll see in the media I came off too brash and aggressive in the way I was speaking, but it's probably because I feel like I'm climbing an uphill battle," she says.
"Every room I'm walking into is like a DealBook, just filled with men. I'm feeling like I have to be a little bit more, I have to talk a little bit harder about my business, and I have to sell it harder because everyone's going to doubt that."
By contrast, Cooper points out that her male counterparts would be treated very differently under the same circumstances.
"Whereas if Dave Portnoy is walking into a room or if Joe Rogan's walking into a room, people are just going to be more at ease with them as complex humans," she continues.
"Whereas if I'm at all complex, people see it as, She's fake. I don't trust her. I don't believe her. I don't think we've cracked the code on how to embrace and celebrate and trust women who are running companies or who are leaning into being a boss or an entrepreneur."
Mic. Drop.
