Jezebel
At Wellesley college, Hillary Clinton's alma mater, young women are split on the Clinton vs. Obama issue, The Washington Post reports. For instance: Katie Chanpong and Aubre Carreon Aguilar are both feminists and political activists. "If you're a woman, you vote for Hillary because of what it means to women everywhere," says Ms. Chanpong, a sophomore. Ms. Aguilar, a senior, says: "If I'm supposed to vote for Hillary just because I'm a woman, that's kind of sexist." The female-only school finds many of its students are having to decide what it means to be a feminist, writes Eli Saslow. "Do you vote for a woman to shatter the glass ceiling and further the cause? Or do you make an empowered, individual decision that is not confined by gender?" Ona Keller, the co-president of Wellesley College Democrats, is "hard-core Wellesley." She wears vintage ERA T-shirts, calls incoming students first-years instead of freshmen. "Everybody who knows me thinks of me as a feminist," Ms. Keller says. "Nobody imagined I wouldn't vote for Clinton."
Senior Kirstin Neff discussed her leaning toward voting for Obama with her mother, who helped Ms. Neff change her mind in five minutes:
"She started telling me about how our generation takes for granted a lot of advances that women have made. She told me what it was like in the '70s and '80s and, you know, the general feeling that you were never as good or as important as your brothers or the men who you worked with. She talked about how women's stakes are so tied up in Hillary's candidacy, and how it could change what it means to be a woman and what all these little girls will think is possible in their own lives. So I just kind of started thinking about it like that, and it was like, 'Hmm. Okay. Do I really want to step in front of all of that?'"While the women of Wellesley face tough decisions, writer Caille Miller is striking back at Gloria Steinem's op-ed in The New York Times referring to the "Sexual Caste System." In an open letter on Glamour's "Glamocracy" blog, Ms. Miller writes to Steinem: "You said, 'the sex barrier [is] not taken as seriously as the racial one.' How would you know, Ms. Steinem, having never been on that other side? You pulled out that old I'm-the-bigger-victim routine, complaining that black men were given the right to vote before white women, while forgetting that black men were prevented from exercising that right because of poll taxes and the threat of being lynched." She reminds Steinem that the "battles of the 1960s are over" but there are "new battles to be fought that affect all women, young and old, rich and poor, black, white, Latina, Asian. Right now you're not helping us in those battles. You're being—yes, that word you hate, 'divisive.' Ms. Miller notes that as a woman of color, "I want to make my own decisions."
What it comes down to is the meaning of feminism and what it means to be a woman. Is it more important, above all, to further the cause of women? Or is your number one priority to stay true to yourself and your ideals? Check out Hillary Clinton's Wellesley yearbook picture, and try to imagine her as a student and not a candidate. Which side do you think she would be on?
Young Feminists Split: Does Gender Matter? [Washington Post]
An Open Letter to Gloria Steinem [Glamour]
Comments
Since neither of them are furry, have tails, or are extremely cute, I am not going to indulge.
Being a feminist is about being able to make up your mind and make your own decisions and no one telling you that you can't do that because you are a woman.
Unfortunately, no one thinks of this anymore.
You go Dodai. This is the best Jezzie explanation of the issue so far. I can completely relate to this and have decided I'll figure it all out in February when my state's primary actually comes around.
I feel I'm doing my best as a feminist by voting for the candidate I feel best represents me and my interests, whether or not that candidate is a woman.
Isn't it similar to people only voting for candidates within their party? I'm a democrat so if I think a republican is the better candidate I should still vote for a democrat to further my cause? Oh boo!
Well, at least they're talking about which candidate they want to vote for, instead of whether they'll vote at all. Women-voter numbers frustrate me.
What a beautiful smile!
I just heard on MPR that Governor Janet Napolitano has endorsed Obama. This is a huge bumb for Obama in my mind. Everything I've heard about Napolitano seems good - can anyone from AZ confirm? From what I've read, she'd make a great VP if Obama got the nomination.
@badmutha: Hear hear! Bring on the baby aminals!
I'm just psyched the Washington Post is acknowledging there is such a species as "young feminists."
And, I never thought I would be typing this sentence, but I agree with Glamour's critique of Steinem. You'd think after 30 years of being criticised for her white-privileged brand of feminism, she would have been a little more nuanced, bc she had some good points in her op ed too.
I think young Hillary would definitely vote for herself. No question.
I love this post,but I have nothing pithy to add to the topic.
More power to Ms. Miller. Way to call it. I'm so disappointed in Steinem. So, very, very disappointed.
Why can't I vote for her because I think she's the best? I don't get this explanation of "vote for the woman" or "the man that actually believes what you do" I vote for Hillary BASED on her values. She represents me.The fact that she is also a woman is icing on the cake. The fact that the two duking it out for President are once a Woman and a Black Man is fucking amazing.
@ineffable.me: That is one definition of feminism but not the only one. Some feminists are more concerned with building the power of women in public life than having total freedom on the individual level. Not those things are mutually exclusive, of course.
it's nice when they go hand in had-- if Hillary best represents you, and you can vote for the woman, that is the best situation. personally? i would prefer to vote for someone more radical. but if it comes down to her or obama (the two people who truly represent a sidestep from the status quo) i have to vote for hillary.
my sexual oppression teacher walks said that playing the "i'm more oppressed" game is stupid, but as an African-American AND a woman, i can't help but feel like i have more against me than a white woman. whatever, when it comes to ultimate victims of oppression, Native Americans take the cake.
I can't imagine that Student Hillary would encourage voting for a woman simply to "further the cause." But, that's just my guess. I haven't gotten the feeling that Candidate Hillary would even encourage it.
Also, Caille Miller is absolutely correct.
@minesbigger: Except for immigrant hating nonsense and a lot of other crap. Do not like her.
@J.D.Regent: I read your last sentence as "I think Hillary would definitely vote for herself." Which made me laugh.
@SinisterRouge: yeah that buried assumption is pretty irritating. like vote your heart, obama, vote your pussy, hillary. uh...i didn't tell you what my heart was saying.
@bessmarvingirldetective: For reals.
@blackbirdfly: that is what i wrote, isn't it? i couldn't help thinking of tracie flick.
@blackbirdfly: Hm... that's no good. Must do more investigating!
@J.D.Regent: Exactly. Like everyone "wants" to vote for Obama but feels pressure to vote for the woman. Hello. I feel neither. I want to vote for Hillary. I will. I WILL vote for Obama for President if he's my nominee. SOOOO happily.
Here is what I think. To vote for Hillary is not a step for feminism or women or anything, because she really isn't running as a female candidate. She has, for the most part, presented herself as a "man" candidate, in that she avoids all women-focused issues and would never dream to have a feminist White House if she's elected to office.
So basically, it don't mean shit if you vote for Hillary as a feminist, because Hillary is not going to be a feminist, nor a very good woman, in the White House. She'll be the same damn robot that every other asshole president has been.
Woops. That was supposed to be @SinisterRouge.
Dodai, I love you. Awesome post.
so the media can criticize her for acting like a woman (stupid fake crying story), or rather, NOT acting enough like a woman (every other story). but her womanity shouldn't be a factor when casting a vote? i'm confused...
@ineffable.me: Yes yes yes!
Also, I'm going to be totally superficial and actually give props to Hilary in that photo. She should stay grey all the time! When was that taken?
@meaghan2k: Oh geez. Not a very good woman? Seriously?
@SinisterRouge: Yay! Kisses to you.
That picture wants to be my new avatar.
Also, am I ultra- feminist if I am planning on voting for the candidate that I feel will be the best president, regardless of race, religion and or gender- and that candidate is a woman? I think not. I think that just makes me smart.
Hillary totally would have voted for the most qualified candidate, and not let race or gender figure into it.
But wait, did she campaign for Goldwater before or after Wellesley?
Hm. Regardless, I still think that's what she would do.
This post makes me feel like positive discourse could follow... which is a new feeling. Nicely done, Dodai, I wanna put a bow on it and carry it around in my pocket for when I'm feeling politically low.
I think as a woman, staying true to your ideals is the essence of furthering the cause of all women. There is no "feminist conflict" here for me.
@minesbigger: I'm originally from AZ. Napolitano's an odd cat. For the life of me, I can't figure out how she consistently gets reelected in the conservative fishbowl that is Arizona. I guess it's because she plays politics and scratches the right backs enough to get progressive things done, too. So, you can interpret that a number of ways. She certainly knows how to play the game, but at the same time she's not in-your-face Democratic, either, which has its own set of limitations. For what it's worth, I voted for her and I'd vote for her in a national election, too.
@SinisterRouge: yesssss.
Hillary Clinton looks really pretty on her yearbook picture. I love her quirky smile: it's almost like she's sharing a joke with us.
That said, I get the impression that the feminists who are voting for Obama do it not because he's the best candidate, but because voting for Clinton is too girly. It's not a question of who's the best candidate (they're both really talented politicians), but what the boys want us to want. In short:
voting for Obama=putting out and playing football
voting for Clinton=wearing pink and hinting that you want a diamond ring
The sad thing is, even though we're not 17 anymore, we're still falling for it...
@ineffable.me: There are about as many different definitions of feminism as there are feminists. There are probably as many folks out there arguing that a "true" feminist vote is one for Hillary as there are arguing the same of Obama, and that, my friends, is a very magical thing.
@SinisterRouge: Yeah seriously. She's been brainwashed. She may have a vagina but women's issues are the furthest thing from her mind.
@meaghan2k: Huh? Saying she's a "man" candidate is falling into the same trap of assigning certain roles, personalities and behaviors to genders.
i agree with her going gray/silver. it would give her gravitas, and would signal transformation like when gandalf goes from gandalf the grey to gandalf the white (yes, shut up). she'll cast of the mantle of beleagured hillary of the past and be presidential and wise. man would i love to be her campaign stylist. i got the dc duds DOWN.
Best post on this topic yet! Thank you, Dodai, for putting this in terms I can totally appreciate and relate to.
I don't know what the future holds, but I am really psyched for it: America finally has an exciting, surprising, diverse, awesome choice in candidates. For once, it is not just a choice in the lesser of two evils.
@J.D.Regent: @BritneyCanadaWhore: i know there are others, but to me, that's the soul of it. everything else is furthering people's personal agenda.
@BritneyCanadaWhore: I think a true feminist knows that the "democractic" system we have in place is neither feminist nor acceptable so she doesn't spend too much time caring about what candidates who operate in a patriarchal (oh shit a buzz word!) government say or do about anything. Vote for the lesser of two evils, the anarchist feminist that is me says.
@SinisterRouge: Okay, so having done a bit more research, I'm seeing a lot of complaining that Napolitano was too easy on immigrants, though she did call for national guard troops for the border in early '07. However, it looks like she came out and backed the amnesty bill, plus she's been working with Schwarzenegger to make Arizona's green laws stricter like CA's. Soooooo... I'm torn. National guard thing is kinda lame, but other stuff still looks good. Is there something specific you're thinking of that makes you say she's anti-immigrants?
I want to second some of the above comments - this was a great, interesting, thought-provoking post!
"Do you really want to step in front of all of that?" Well, yeah, if the first woman president turns out to be evil or a cry-baby ninny.