Emma Grede stands by comments on women and success.

2 hours ago7 min read1 comments

In a landscape where the expectations placed upon women leaders remain a subject of intense public scrutiny, entrepreneur Emma Grede has firmly stood by her contentious comments regarding the non-negotiable sacrifices required for monumental success. During a candid interview at Axios's BFD event, Grede, the co-founder of Good American and a founding partner of the shapewear behemoth Skims, rejected the pervasive notion that women must conform to a prescribed work/life balance, a standard she argues is rarely, if ever, applied with the same vigor to their male counterparts.Her perspective, crystallized in a viral clip from earlier this year where she asserted that achieving greatness demands a willingness to work through nights and weekends, ignited a firestorm of criticism, which she met with a nuanced defense. Grede pointedly observed that a male entrepreneur like Mark Cuban could espouse the exact same philosophy without triggering a similar public reckoning, highlighting a deeply ingrained societal friction point.'So there is an element of behavior and expectation that is affixed to women, whether we like it or not,' Grede stated, adding that when a woman behaves counter to this unspoken code, 'somehow you're a monstrous human being. ' This dichotomy, she argues, is a false one, insisting that it is entirely possible to be a sympathetic, empathetic, and fantastic leader while simultaneously being laser-focused on building something extraordinary, a testament to the multifaceted capabilities women are often forced to suppress in the public eye.Her own career serves as a powerful case study; under her stewardship, Skims recently secured a staggering $225 million in new funding, catapulting its valuation to $5 billion and nearly doubling the market cap of its longtime competitor, Victoria's Secret. In a bold move that defies the broader retail trend of mass store closures—over 7,000 shuttered in 2024 alone—Grede revealed that the majority of this capital will fuel an aggressive physical expansion, with Skims opening approximately one new store each month, a strategy that speaks to a profound confidence in brick-and-mortar's enduring appeal.Simultaneously, her work with Good American continues to challenge industry norms, having long championed inclusive sizing by offering 'all the sizes all the time. ' Yet, this mission is now navigating the complex currents of a society being reshaped by a 600% surge in Americans using GLP-1 weight-loss medications, a development that is redefining the very meaning of body inclusivity.Despite this pharmaceutical wave, Grede reported that Good American has not witnessed major shifts in its size sales, a resilience she attributes to the brand's foundational commitment to serving 'fringe' sizes—catering to both traditionally plus-size and very tall individuals—that other labels consistently neglect, thereby building a rare consistency and reliability with its customer base. On the macroeconomic front, Grede displayed a pragmatic acceptance of the new trading reality, stating she believes tariffs are 'here to stay,' though neither Skims nor Good American has yet raised consumer prices to offset these costs, viewing them as simply another business constraint to be managed and future-proofed against. Through it all, Grede’s narrative is not merely one of commercial triumph but a compelling argument for a more honest, less gendered conversation about the raw, unglamorous grind that underpins world-changing ambition, forcing us to confront why we applaud such drive in men but often pathologize it in women.

#featured

#Emma Grede

#Skims

#Good American

#women in business

#work-life balance

#retail expansion

#inclusive sizing

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