Why Jennifer Too Feels Like She Has to Prove Herself More Than Usual
“I’m a private person,” says Jennifer Too. Meeting her, one wouldn’t have guessed that this perky, outgoing and frankly, chatty businesswoman, shies from the limelight that her family name affords.
Too is a mother of two boys and the daughter of famed feng shui expert Lillian Too. “At the moment, I am known for feng shui, that’s what I’ve been doing for the last twenty years of my life. I live and breathe feng shui, but I am not fanatic[al] about it,” Jennifer says.
She runs the lucrative business with her mum and now the empire includes shops that sell feng shui-related products together with other lifestyle and fashion items. She also heads the World of Feng Shui digital platforms which include WOFS.com.
You wouldn’t need an almanac to read that time is very precious to Jennifer. “I never seem to have enough hours in a day, too much to do,” she says. “There is always work because it is a family business, so even on weekends we would talk about family stuff and work as well,” she adds. Lillian Too’s popularity is sacrosanct to followers of the ancient Chinese geomancy. So we felt we had to ask:
DOES HER MOTHER OVERSHADOW HER?
“I don’t see myself as Lillian Too number two. I work alongside her and I don’t think I would mould myself as a ‘Lillian Too Part 2’. I am my own person. She is like my best friend, my confidant in life, in everything,” she says.
DO YOU HAVE TO PROVE YOURSELF MORE?
“There’s a level that you will be judged based on a benchmark, so yes and no.”
ON PRIVACY
“I don’t crave publicity or being noticed. I don’t share my life with the world, I keep my social media private, but to friends and people I meet, I am honest and open.
ON MOTHERHOOD
“They are growing up too quickly,” sighs Jennifer. Her eldest son is an aspiring musician and her youngest son also needs her attention. “I don’t want to miss out on things they do when they are growing up.”
ON GENDER EQUALITY
“I am not a huge believer of the #MeToo movement. I think it has gone a bit too far the other way. I don’t think there is anything wrong in having clear-cut roles and expectations of different genders. Women shouldn’t try to be like men, we are not men. It’s nice to show off some femininity, like when you’re flirting with guys, that’s fun as well.” Jennifer feels that accidental touches and men’s general clumsiness during courtship shouldn’t be punished. “There are so many powerful women,” Jennifer adds and lists Angela Merkel and Hillary Clinton as examples. “If you want to get to the top you can.”
ON THE SHIFTING OF TRADITIONAL GENDER ROLES
“I think it’s changing as women want careers and men also want to do more with the family and being close to the kids.” It is when women and men have the same opportunities then they can work together and look after the family together, she muses. What gender roles shouldn’t be swept aside? “Chivalry should still stay, men should still open doors for the ladies.”
Related: How Jesrina Arshad is Forging a Path for Females in Tech and Business
