Nobel Peace Prize winners. From left to right: President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia (AP Photo); Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee (AP); Yemeni Tawakul Karman who heads the organisation Women Journalists Without Chains (AP).
They were awarded the prize for “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.” Johnson-Sirleaf is Liberia’s first elected female president and has acted as a reformer in her time in office. Gbowee organized a group of Christian and Muslim women to stand up to Liberian warlords. Karman is a Yemeni journalist who is both a women’s rights activist and a leading protest organiser in Yemen’s Arab Spring uprisings.
Fuck Yeah Fierce Bitches
“Today, my ACLU connection would probably disqualify me,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told students at a lecture series at Southern Methodist University’s law school. Before being nominated to the court in 1993 by Clinton (and confirmed 96-3), Ginsburg had spent time working as the Director of the ACLU’s Women’s Right Project. These days, she says, her work as a women’s rights attorney for the civil rights organization would prevent her from being confirmed by this Senate.
ThinkProgress calls her “single most important women’s rights attorney in American history” for her work with the ACLU. She was instrumental, as they note, in two particular cases: Reed v Reed and Craig v Boren. The first case marked the first instance in which SCOTUS ruled that the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment applied to women. The second case resulted in a ruling declaring that gender discrimation laws “were subject to heightened constitutional scrutiny.” Her role in gender equality under the law in the United States has been unparalleled and indispensable. And that would probably mean that she would not be confirmed today.
Above: Via ThinkProgress, Ginsburg during her time with the ACLU.
(Source: thinkprogress.org)
Glamour Goes on the Road With Hillary
GLAMOUR: Reader Brittany Buhler of Evanston, Illinois, wants to know: “What challenges have you faced in politics? Has it been harder because you’re a woman?”
SECRETARY CLINTON: I’m not going to mislead anybody. Politics is really hard. And it is harder for women. There’s a double standard, and you can’t complain about it. You just have to accept it, and be smart enough to navigate it. And you have to have a pretty tough skin. To paraphrase a favorite quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: If a woman wants to be in politics, she has to have the skin of a rhinoceros. Most men who go into politics just think they’re great. They believe they can do anything. Most young women, not only in politics but in most areas, are more cautious and more likely to say, “Could I really do this? Am I good enough?” I was talking to a friend and very successful businessman the other day, and he said, “The thing that still annoys me more than anything is that I see all these young women who are so much more capable than they allow themselves to believe. And I see so many young men who are so much less capable but who believe they are God’s gift to the world.” I would just say to women: Try it! Put your foot in the pond and see if you want to swim.
just read this
The following is a foreword written by Gillian Anderson taken from the book Girl Boss:
I’m not sure exactly where I got my drive and perseverance—perhaps my father, an entrepreneur and perfectionist—but it began at an early age. At school, I would always take on the most challenging projects, sometimes to the degree that I would lose interest before they were completed. I have since learned to keep my goals realistic, and to only take on tasks which I know I can complete.
One project I did follow through on and which, consequently, was empowering and inspiring for me was directing a play in high school. I have no idea what compelled me to take on the challenge but I did it and I did it all. I directed it, produced it, built the sets, and designed the programs on my father’s computer.
It was so much fun and the experience awakened me to the knowledge that I could do anything I set my mind to. I believe this of everyone. I believe from the bottom of my heart that there is nothing we as human beings, and especially we as women cannot tackle. It is not a matter of being fearless. The fear is sometimes constant but it’s about moving forward regardless of the fear. Courage means feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
One of my only role models as a young woman was Meryl Streep and, specifically, her character in Out of Africa. I would watch the movie whenever I needed inspiration because Ms. Streep so brilliantly portrayed an incredibly courageous woman who stands alone to save her plantation. Her performance and the strength of her character were tangible examples of how I wanted to be in the world, and I soaked it in and learned from her experience.
Which brings me to The X-Files. When I was cast as Special Agent Dana Scully, I had no idea what I was doing or what I was getting myself into—I was terrified. But I knew there was one thing I could rely on, and that was that I felt I knew how to act, and that I would be robbing myself of an incredible experience if I didn’t just jump in head first. So I did. And let me tell you, every single minute of every day we shot the pilot episode, I was convinced they were going to(sic) fire me. I even started to question my talent which made it even scarier.
Fortunately, with the love and support of a close friend who kept convincing me to just show up and do the best that I could do, I hung in there. And I survived! I didn’t know anything about acting in front of a camera but I learned. I learned to trust my instincts and commit fully to my choices, that there are no wrong decisions and that even “bad” decisions aren’t fatal.
I have been so blessed to portray such a phenomenal woman as Dana Scully. She has taught me about strength and self-worth and personal power. In early episodes, when I was called upon to address large groups of male FBI agents with authority and self assurance, I felt so scared and weak that my voice would come out high-pitched and shaky. But the more I “acted as if” I was self-assured, the more I felt powerful. And believe it or not, it can be that simple.
“Acting as if” is sometimes all it takes to empower oneself, and I have learned to carry this into other areas of my life. When meeting with high-powered directors and producers, or presenting an award at an award ceremony, or doing a talk show; I act as if I am a strong, capable, worthy woman of power. And the more I do this, the more people listen to what I have to say and value my opinion.
Another tool that has been invaluable to me during high-stress situations is prayer. Praying to something greater than myself, whether it’s a God or a role model or the ocean, is an immensely empowering device. Just getting quiet for a few moments before the event and asking for guidance and strength in the room; and if you can actually visualize yourself walking into the room as you would like to be, and visualize everything turning out exactly the way you would like to turn out—you will be amazed at how different you feel. And don’t get discouraged. The more practice you have doing this the stronger you will feel, and the more powerful you will find the results.
Another miraculous result of playing Scully has been all the incredible young women I have been blessed to meet along the way—women who have shared that they have received strength from Scully, that because of Scully’s strength they have been afraid but done it anyway. These have been women from all walks of life: women from low-income neighborhoods who have persevered despite all odds to study hard and pursue their dreams, enabling them to enter into better schools and work environments; women who have illness and physical challenges who have gotten better and stronger because they believe they can. I truly believe that we can overcome any hurdle that lies before us and create the life we want to live. I have seen it happen time and time again.
Now before I get off my soapbox, I want to talk about two other areas I feel important in the life of a powerful woman.
Never lie no matter what the situation. There is no predicament you could ever find yourself in that is worth lying. We need to be responsible for our actions and the only way to live this and learn it is to tell the truth. Other people will then learn that we are trustworthy, and trust is essential in any relationship, business or personal.
Be of service. Whether you make yourself available to a friend or co-worker, or you make time every month to do volunteer work, there is nothing that harvests more of a feeling of empowerment than being of service to someone in need.
Okay, I think I’ve said everthing I want to say. Just remember, you can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears.
Be courageous, believe in yourself, and be the best woman you can be. I’m with you all the way.
Gratefully,
Gillian Anderson
(Source: stunnakatic)
Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me.
Zora Neale Hurston, “What It Feels Like to Be Colored Me”
