Alan Seltzer is an Associate Editorial Page Editor. He spoke with Noel Duan about her column running alternate Thursdays. Check out Sorry I’m Not Sorry from Thursday’s paper.

AS: Noel, first off thanks for getting up at 5 a.m. local Paris time to talk to me. Tell me a little about your column this semester. What’s your theme and how do you think your experience abroad will influence your view and your voice in your writing?

ND: De rien! My column You Write Like a Girl is a response to the “superficial” stigma attached to stereotypically female-centric writing, such as writing about fashion and dating. Growing up and wanting to be a writer, I’ve noticed that certain genres of writing or journalism are stigmatized and taken less seriously.

Being abroad gives me a little distance from Columbia, both physically and mentally. I’m not trying to write a study abroad column, but I do hope my slight distance will allow me to see things differently.

AS: You talk about the danger of apologizing and urge women never to begin a statement apologetically. Do you think this particular issue is relevant especially to females in a classroom setting more than males? And, if so, why might that be?

ND: Yes, I think it’s especially relevant to females in a classroom setting, and I’m not trying to generalize about females. Of course, not all women over-apologize, and men over-apologize too, but merely speaking from my own experience, female students tend to apologize in the classroom—as if they did something offensive by speaking their mind.

We may live in the 21st century, but we still live in a society that values silent, passive women (just look at advertising). An outspoken woman is seen as “angry” or “crazy.” In Tina Fey’s words, “I have a suspicion—and hear me out, because this is a crazy rough one—that the definition of “crazy” in show business is a woman who keeps talking even after no one wants to fuck her anymore.”

AS: That’s an interesting point and certainly a compelling topic and position you proposed in your column this week. Any comments about the direction of the column, or maybe a hint the theme of your next submission?

ND: This is my first column, so I have no idea where it’s going to go. All I know is that people say I write like a girl, and I’m going to own it.