Girl Power, Woman Power!

(Image from Bill Clinton for First Gentleman/Facebook)

This is not a premature plug for Hillary, although I hope she'll run.  In fact, I think she would be the most qualified and prepared presidential candidate since the country's founding. 

 

The snippet from Hillary's childhood history is illustrative of many women—women who aim high early and don't give up easily.  The most important part of that, to me, is that we don't give up easily.  And if we don't,  it's mostly because we were taught not to give up.  We learned it's okay to push forward.  Even if we're a girl.  And we're flexible.  If there's a roadblock in our way, we find another route to where we want to go.  We strive to do the right thing.   Generally speaking, we are collaborators and co-creators; we're not naturally adversarial, although we can be when circumstances call for that stance.    I believe we tend to embrace the highest good of all more than men do.  We are  more willing to trade our egos for outcomes that benefit the whole. We're community minded, be that community our home, neighborhood, workplace, country or the world.  

 

When things are going to hell on a fast track, we gather our resources and find a way to turn them around.  We do whatever it takes.  We're usually willing to own our flaws and limitations; we adapt and move forward.  We aren't enslaved by our impulses and, generally speaking, don't take as many foolish risks as men by giving into them.   (Note the number of  women public servants involved in sex scandals.  Right.  You won't need a calculator.)

 

Some characteristics are part of our DNA—well, something like that.  But even strengths we're born with can be suppressed, repressed, if we aren't encouraged to express them.  If we aren't affirmed.   So, we need to actively encourage girls and young women to lead.  To speak up.  To "lean in" as the popular buzz  is directing us.   All women, and men, have opportunities to mentor girls at one time or another, in one way or another.  Formally or informally.  To help them recognize and learn how to use their personal power.  [This was addressed in the "Good News, Bad News" post about the sexploitation of girls .]

 

Thanks to The Huffington Post, here's a list of  words to use with our daughters and all the young girls in our lives—instead of telling them they're "pretty" or "a princess."  Let's do this!