Meet a Nasty Woman: 5 Questions with Emily Davis

Meet Emily Davis. Emily is a Nasty Woman, writer, marketing consultant and trained chef. She specializes in marketing consulting and content strategy for food and beverage brands, drawing on her experience on Food & Wine Magazine's Wine Editorial Team and as the Culinary and Marketing Director for We Olive, a gourmet foods retail store and wine bar chain. Emily is also a contributor to the Nasty Talk Blog and was a key player in helping Founder Meg Murray launch the brand in 2016. Emily lives in North San Diego County with her husband and son. Learn more about Emily here.

What makes you a Nasty Woman? 

I, like many women today, am fed up. I'm tired of the double standards. I'm over of the sexism, the objectification and the harassment. I have no patience for people who are intolerant, ignorant and bigoted. I'm done being talked down to, talked over and interrupted. I'm pissed off that it took me as long as it did to figure out that there are systems in place that hold people back and hold them down. I wish I had a punching bag right now. 

Share an experience that shaped your views or helped get you involved in activism.

I've always been politically-minded but coming from a conservative family and being liberal, I've learned that some arguments aren't worth having with people you love, so I tended to keep my mouth shut. The 2016 election changed all that for me. I was really, REALLY excited to have a female president. I was thrilled that my son, who was born in 2012, would come into a world where anyone could be president. I felt like there was this momentum of change from Obama's presidency that we were all going to ride and the progress was going to continue and...I don't know what I thought, but clearly I didn't pay attention in history class. We all know how this story ends. I learned a lot about my country, myself and the power of fear and manipulation during that election cycle and I know now that I can't keep my mouth shut. Our democracy isn't going to be saved by those trying not to stir the pot. 

What advice do you have for people who want to help enact change and push progress but don’t know how to get involved?

First and foremost, ask yourself what issues truly matter to you? I've learned that I most strongly connect to issues facing women, whether it's equal pay or breaking through bias or body issues. These things matter to me because I've experienced them personally and they are a huge part of what pushed me to speak up and push for change. But I've learned that being feminist means embracing, empowering and supporting all people that are systemically oppressed or disadvantaged. Identify the issues you care about and then identify how that intersects with other people who don't look exactly like you. Connect with different types of people. I can assure you it will open paths not only to push progress and make change, but it will also open pathways to massive personal growth. 

If you could look into the future, 10 years from now, and see that real progress has been made, what does that look like to you?

The first thing for me is representation. The people representing us look overwhelming white, male and Christian and our country is far more diverse than that. THANK GOD. I want our legislature to look like the people in this country. I want representation that is in touch with the people not insulated from the issues. I think big changes will come with better representation. 

I also want better representation in media. It's beginning to happen where we see TV shows, movies and magazine covers featuring more people of color, more LGBTQ people and more people of different sizes and abilities. It's not happening soon enough or fast enough. I'm excited to see brands that feature unretouched bodies and shapes that aren't just rail thin. It's so so important for every person to look out into the great big world and see someone that looks like them, that they can connect to and know that they aren't alone and they are perfect the way were made. 

Share with us a favorite wine moment, memory or pairing.  

My favorite wine moments are always when I have a chance to share a really great bottle of wine and really delicious food with people that treat the food and wine like a guest of honor. They give it attention. They learn something from it. They savor it. Everyone is present and engaged and connected. I'm just now imagining what my life would look like if I treated it the same way I treat a nice meal and it's probably something I should discuss with my therapist. 

Interested in working with Emily on marketing strategy or content creation? Contact her here.