A friendly chat with Omarosa

By EMILY ROSENBAUM

The reality-show celebrity has written a book to help women.

Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth first stormed onto the scene as a contestant on “The Apprentice” nearly five years ago and quickly drew attention for being assertive and aggressive and some other, more colorful words.

Now, the Youngstown native has written a book about how women can get what they want in the workplace. It’s called “The B---- Switch: Knowing How To Turn It On and Off.” We spoke recently with the woman TV Guide has labeled the all-time top villain of reality TV. Guess what? She’s very pleasant.

Q. First of all, are you just going with Omarosa now, a la Madonna and Cher?

A. It wasn’t something I chose. It was kind of like the press just dropped my last name.

Q. Are people often scared of you when they meet you?

A. (Laughs) I hope they are scared, because I play a bad girl on TV. ... But really, when people meet me, they are disappointed because I’m nice.

Q. How can a woman be assertive in the workplace without being labeled a shrew?

A.. This is why the title of my book is so provocative. You can do everything right in your mind, and still you are labeled a b----. ...

You can try to live up to everyone’s expectations and still be labeled that. When I look at the state of women now, I don’t want women to be paralyzed by that word. ... I say go for it. Forget the labels. Go for what you want. ... Women are underpaid. ... We are not represented.

Q. On the flip side, how do women avoid being doormats?

A. First of all, define what the switch is and use it to your advantage. ... I use Jennifer Aniston as an example a lot in the book. She was a doormat. Angelina Jolie would not have taken my man. I would have fought that. ... He’s the finest-looking man on the planet. I would have been on that movie set every single day. I would have said, “Angie, why are you lookin’ at my man?”

Often, women don’t even realize they are being walked on. ... It is never good to let people take advantage of you. Until we stop this pattern of accommodating everyone else, we will never advance as a gender. We have been socialized to allow men to do whatever they want.

Q. So, it’s not necessarily a bad word?

A. I am not using it in a derogatory way. ... It’s a switch; it’s an action. ... I do have a switch. I turn it on to get what I want, and I turn it off when I’m done.

Q. If you were a man, would anyone criticize your tough talk and behavior?

A. No. This is evident on this season of “The Apprentice.” Piers Morgan is the biggest jerk on the planet, and he is rewarded and applauded, and I’m criticized. I am not advocating that women walk in the office and be crazy. We just need to be more strategic.

Q. But, of course, being feisty has brought a lot of attention to you. You are good TV, right?

A. I’ve done 25, 30 shows since “The Apprentice,” but people love that character, and they want to see that. I am so laid back. It takes a lot to get me upset. ... I have seen people provoke other celebrities. ... I don’t feed into that. I would never give anyone that power. I am much too smart for that.