I’ve been contemplating for a while if I was going to talk
about the election on my blog. I try and keep things light and talk about health,
fitness, food, my dog, you know, easy topics. Mainly because I feel that my
religious and political beliefs are private. It’s no one’s business what I believe
or don’t or why.
But after a historic week at the DNC, I needed to get my
thoughts out.
When I was a girl, my parents always told me that when I
grew up I could be anything I wanted, even President. But really, could I?
History showed me a long line of male leaders. I vaguely remember Mondale /
Ferraro in ’84, but even as a little kid, my perception was that it was a joke.
A woman running for Vice President? You have to be kidding. The don’t stand a
chance, and they didn’t. A woman President was a theory, something intangible,
a pipe dream. Sure it “could” happen, but, would it?
As a kid, I was called “bossy” (and I still am). Don’t be so
bossy, stop telling others what to do, don’t try and manage everyone. I could
go on, but you get the picture. Girls aren’t supposed to take control, they
aren’t supposed to be “in charge”. You’re told you can do anything you want and
be anyone you want, as long as you don’t push too hard. As long as you stay
lady-like and likable, you can be successful. Not as successful as a man, but that's good enough.
As an adult in a male-centric field (Sales) and a male
dominated industry, I’ve been told to “not be so direct”. Right? I’ve been in
Sales my entire career and I shouldn’t be “direct”. Several times I’ve been
given feedback that would never be given to my male counterparts. Women in
business fight every day to push against the glass ceiling. Women are paid less for the same job, we’re reprimanded for behaviors that are
applauded when they come from a man. These are the facts. They’re the truths
that I have experienced, as have thousands of other women just like me.
Last night a night a
huge crack was put in that glass ceiling. On Wednesday I watched as the DNC broadcast
pictures of every President, stopping at the image of Obama. It paused, then
the sound of breaking glass reverberated through convention hall. The live
feed of Hillary Clinton appeared as she thanked the convention for the Democratic nomination for
President. Last night tears streamed down my face as I watched history happen and she officially accepted the nomination.
Love her or hate her, Hillary made history. I can’t even
begin to fathom the walls she had to push through, day after day, to get to this
moment. I’m not here
to debate her politics or practices. All I know is that the little girl inside of me was inspired by what I saw, and adult me had hope. Hope that one day women would be viewed as equals in the workplace.
Sometimes I wonder if my path would have been different if 8
year old me would have been able to see strong female leaders in positions of
power. I don’t know. What I do know is that future generations of bossy little girls won’t
have to wonder if they have a chance of becoming President one day,
because they do.
*Comments have been disabled for this post.
