Like many Bernie Sanders supporters, I was disappointed when Hillary Clinton gained the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. But I’ve never quite been able to put a finger on what I don’t like about her. That is, until I saw this post from Humans of New York:
Bossy. Bitchy. Cold. These are words that have been thrown at Clinton since she entered the public eye. So when I read this post, I had a moment that should have been obvious but was strangely eye-opening: Hillary Clinton is a person. And these words are dehumanizing her, distracting from her political competency, all because women are held to these ridiculous double standards.
Seeing Clinton in a new light, I took another look at her campaign. According to Business Insider, the campaigns of Clinton and Sanders weren’t that far off: “On many issues, however, Clinton and Sanders aren’t that far apart. Particularly on women’s rights and women’s-health issues, Sanders’ and Clinton’s positions are seemingly identical — both support equal-pay bills, both favor universal pre-kindergarten education programs, and both support paid family leave. They’re also fairly close together on issues like immigration and some aspects of campaign finance.”
So then, if I was so pro-Sanders, why was I so hesitant to support Clinton? Was it possible that the media’s constant negative attention toward things that either don’t actually matter, or are things that a male equivalent would totally get away with, have been contributing to my own hesitation?
Now, this is not intended to serve as a political discussion. I am in no way encouraging support for Clinton’s campaign, nor intending to partake in this sort of discussion whatsoever. I am, however, proposing the possibility that a significant portion of the negativity surrounding her is due to irrelevant claims that she falls victim to due to the double standards placed upon women in our society.
We have this mentality in society that can essentially be summarized as “be this, but not too much of this.” As one Facebook user commented:
When I was in kindergarten, I distinctly remember being told by my best male friend that I was bossy. So I shut up. I let him choose the games, make the rules, because if I chose everything then I was bossy.
Walking to school in fifth grade one day, an older boy shouted at me from a passing car a simple yet scarring word: “Ugly”. From then on, I gained the mentality that I would be better liked if I was more attractive. Yet when I developed into a young woman, I entered a world of being consistently shamed for my curves.
When I was in middle school, I remember my dad making me promise to never trade my intelligence for male attention. Yet as I grew older, I became quiet in class, not wanting to look like a “nerd”. But of course I couldn’t act too air headed, because then the boys would think I’m “dumb”
First of all, to younger me: You are not bossy, or ugly, or a know-it-all. You are brilliant. You are beautiful. You are a leader.
Second, to society: Stop holding your daughters, your wives, your sisters to ridiculous double standards. And stop letting these double standards define these women.
I believe that if a male was to hold the same platform as Hillary Clinton, the reactions would be a lot different. And it pains me to know that a brilliant politician – because regardless of your ideology, her intelligence is undeniable – is subject to so much negativity because she is a powerful woman.
She’s not bossy. She’s a boss.