Jezebel 
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New York, 11:46 PM
Sun Dec 6
19 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/17/09
11/18/09
11/17/09
Does that really mean anything, though? The subjects are safe--service and military families deserve attention all the same, sure, but aren't these topics (Laura Bush had reading) always the First Ladies' domain? She takes something easy and softens her husband by association.
I find her interesting and I worry it's for shallow reasons...what meets the eye is an effortlessly cool, calm, collected, down-to-earth-yet-glamorous adult. Her cameo on Sesame Street just rounds it out....I feel like a gradeschooler again, basking in awe of a favorite teacher.
That isn't to say she isn't human, that she doesn't feel pressure in the spotlight, or that that couple never had difficulties in their marriage.
I've never followed an election closely before, so maybe it's typical for talkshows to seek out prospective First Ladies during the campaign, but between that--the interviewers who wanted to hear from HER, with or without her husband (though alot of the questions were safe...about the marriage, the kids, her parents, the stresses of the campaign)--and the mutual friends who talked about the couple and said that between the two of them, they thought Michelle would be the one running for public office some day....I want to know more. #michelleobama
11/17/09
11/17/09
Kudos to Michelle, and people like my mom, for showing girls how amazing you can grow up to be. #michelleobama
11/17/09
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11/17/09
In related news, Michelle definitely seems like The Cool Mom. You know, like super-smart and put together, and intimidating but not so intimidating she'd be scary. Plus she and Barack both seem like they'd get up to some really nerdy hijinx and be hilarious and embarass the crap out of the girls. #michelleobama
11/17/09
11/17/09
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11/17/09
Leggings are still verboten in my house. ;) #michelleobama
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11/17/09
No offense to Jackie O., but I'm much more interested in buying what Michelle's selling. #michelleobama
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11/17/09
07/14/09
But Jack Welsh probably had to sacrifice too -- I'm willing to bet he didn't make it to many ball games when his kids were little, the same way my mom (who did take time off to have kids but jumped back in soon after) was never the Room Mother or the Girl Scout Leader or any of those things.
I really don't think you can become a CEO without giving 100%. And I don't think you can give it 100% without sacrificing something else.
07/14/09
All this to say, there's nothing wrong or unfeminist about recognizing that the modern corporate environment needs to change to better accommodate human flourishing. That we think of workaholism as a "choice" frankly only indicates how completely corporate America has managed to rewrite and control the dialogue. It should NOT be a foregone conclusion that business "progress" requires human sacrifice. Working hard and destroying souls are two very different things. I don't see any problem with pointing out that some choices have significant negative social externalities, and for that reason should be eliminated (or, if you want to be more libertarian about it, those choices should be negatively subsidized to account for those externalities).
07/14/09
07/14/09
I've seen the way HR looks at those gaps in a resume. You see "being a mother" they see "always late for work needs extra days off doesn't show up when the baby is sick distracted during meetings uses company time for personal issues".
07/14/09
07/14/09
All of this makes me never want to get married or have children.
07/14/09
07/14/09
07/14/09
You know, it is a blaming distraction for anyone to blame bearing children as the reason women don't get promoted. Even if a woman does not have children or doesn't marry, her chances of getting on the C level is very low and on a board, even lower. But it distracts and blames women and puts men like Welch off the hook to get people (men and women) to blame the lack of women on "choices."
Second, what IF a woman devotes a big chunk of her life to getting promoted and does not spend time or as much time on her family as society thinks she should? If she gets promoted, she deserves it. Especially on the top levels, if you devote a ton of time, you deserve it. If you spend hours in the gym, the practice field, hitting the books, etc...you deserve the rewards and if someone can't or won't do that, they don't deserve to the rewards as much as someone who does. Men on the top levels do give up a lot, except society doesn't give them as much crap for it - for hiring nannies and helpers and having a helper wife. But they do give up something for the C level jobs - a good chunk of their lives and being on call 24/7. Not every job should require this, but I don't support the call to "even things out" for those who can't or won't devote themselves for the top jobs. If you do the time and devotion, you should get the prize. At this time, don't forget, don't blame: even women who give up aren't getting an equitable share of the top spots and they'd have us blame this solely on motherhood's choices. And it ain't the case. The childfree women also have an incredibly hard time rising to the top spots. Bias, not time off, is the reason. Let's not be distracted by Welchy.
07/14/09
So in that sense I agree with Stone.