Image from ilovehalfmoon.com
As the presidential race heats
up, candidates are
I am a Hillary Clinton fan.
And, I mean I love me some Hillary Rodham Clinton. I understand, however, that
many folks do not share my adoration and that is perfectly okay. We do not have
to all love the same presidential candidate. This is American man, democracy!
However, the tremendous wave of sexism that I have seen crash over this woman
is horrendous. If you question whether social sexism still exists, then take an
educated and powerful woman who sports a personality that is not dependent on Southern
charm and warmth, put her in the media spotlight, and notice the onslaught of
sexist degradation that follows. We have all heard the adage that a powerful
woman in the workplace is called “bossy” or “a bitch,” whereas her male
counterpart would be called “strong” or “enduring.” I could not fathom a better
example than a female presidential candidate being constantly written off for
not being “warm enough.”
Months ago, I was driving on
the 10 freeway in Los Angeles, which we all know is a lovely, communal place to
spend an afternoon. I noticed a truck pass me with huge hand painted letters on
the rear windshield spelling out, “IF SHE COULDN’T KEEP HER HUSBAND HAPPY, HOW
CAN SHE RUN A NATION?” I was overwhelmed by a surge of anger. First of all, why
would you decorate your car with hate? That makes no sense to me. Second of
all, how does her husband’s extramarital affair relate to her competence as a
politician? Third, that’s called victim blaming. Finally, it begs the question:
‘if Hillary had cheated while Bill was in office, would his competence as a
leader have been called into question?’ I am going to go with no.
You may have guessed by now
that I am a Democrat (surprise!) However, I was thrilled when Carly Fiorina
became a front-running Republican candidate. Smart, confident, knowledgeable,
aggressive, and can effectively dismiss Donald Trump like a pro. What a day to
be a feminist, when there are strong male and female candidates for both
parties! What saddens me is that Carly’s defining move is to disparage Hillary
Clinton. I have absolutely no issue with Fiorina calling into question valid
issues with Clinton’s policy, but Fiorina’s entire foundation is a Clinton
smear campaign. We have two strong candidates here who both strive to empower
the women of the country and when the spotlight in on them the reflex is to
attack your fellow woman! I understand that, sadly, this has become the basis
of campaigning. But I also understand and deplore the longstanding lineage of
women undermining other women as our primary source of power.
As a feminist I am called to
uplift other women as well as called to critically question insidious gender
norms. Ask yourself whether you would disapprove of Hillary’s platform if the
genders were reversed. Ask yourself whether it is fair for the legitimacy of a
campaign to be questioned based upon social requirements of a “charming,
feminine personality.” Ask yourself if you want to live in a society where
women vie for power by ripping down other women. Personally, I value all
political parties and all genders, and I do not believe that a candidate’s
gender should shield them from scrutiny. However, such scrutiny should be
gender-free and properly focused on the candidate. My hope is to live in a
country where our progressive nature allows us to raise critical questions
about what it means to be a feminist voter. Only by shedding light on the
gender differences that exist in all of our sociopolitical
structures can we truly live in a liberated democracy.
Written by Kendall Betts, M.A.
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