E!: How did you land your New York Observer column?
CB: That was always my dream since the mid 80s. I wanted to write a monthly column or a weekly column that was a continuous story. I would tell people, “I want my own column,” and all these guys would laugh at me. And finally at The New York Observer, it’s like, I pushed my way in there. I pitched the piece, I delivered the piece. It landed. It was a huge piece for them, they loved it. And then I kept pitching more pieces.
If you’re a woman you have to show the work and your work has to sell, then they give you the opportunity. My own column was something I was actively pursuing. Finally the editor in chief of The New York Observer put it together and was like, “Maybe we should give you your own column.” And I knew that that was my big break. The fact that I was writing for a publication that was male-oriented made my work more valuable, even though it was really similar to what I was doing for women’s magazines. Nobody took the road for women’s magazines seriously, although a lot of those women were really good writers. So, a big part of my journey has been overcoming sexism.
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