Hillary Clinton in the Sex and the City Age

Inspired by Judith Warner's New York Times opinion piece about Hillary Clinton and the Sex and the City age, I find the urge to write about what it means to be a women in the early part of twenty first century.  I will preface my post by saying I speak only for myself and maybe others feels the same. 

The mass media loves to proclaim how far American society has progressed from its sexist beginnings because Hillary Clinton was in the running from a presidential nomination. They are right - we have come a long way, but when women would rather get dressed up to watch a movie about females floundering over men than become leaders we have to access our supposed progress. Women have defined their personal success within the context of their interpersonal relationships (being a good friend, wife, and mother), opposed to their professional relationships and capacities. Sex and the City's success illustrates this phenomenon. The show broadcast the message that as long as you have your friends you're a successful woman. It said little about developing your business or professional acumen and making that a measure of your success. And it's not like this kind of entertainment isn't valued. There are plenty of shows about men being successful with professional context, but very few about men being successful in interpersonal contexts. 

The media really doesn't show women being leaders. When women are successful in shows and movies they tend to be viewed negatively. Enter Hillary Clinton, one of the most successful and powerful women portrayed in the media. She is forever being judged negatively and called all kinds of sexist names. So, if you are a thirteen-year-old girl and see this why would you aspire to be a leader? 

America is not creating women leaders. It is creating women who are obsessed with having enough friends and totting the right handbag. It is creating women who worry about maintaining the right weight so they won't be call fat and ugly because that's the worse crime a women can commit. It is creating women who need men to elevate their self worth.  

My hope is that Hillary's bid for the nomination and the conversations it has produced will embolden women to pursue more leadership roles and judge themselves less harshly. Otherwise the pressure modern women endure with snap us.