This year Hillary Clinton has become the first female to be nominated for president by a major political party. Because of this, Clinton has become a symbol for feminism. Many famous women in our country such as Kerry Washington, Lady Gaga, and Meryl Streep are proud Clinton supporters. Some have even taken to social media to show their support and post the #imwithher slogan. But are they only with Clinton because she is a “her” or do they actually support her views? Should Clinton even be considered a feminist?
When people first look at Hillary Clinton, it is only human nature to notice that she is a woman. I think this only affects Clinton in both negative and positive ways. Some people will look at her and think “a woman is not fit to be president, I’m not voting for her.” Others may look at her and think “a woman needs to be president; I’m voting for her.” I have a problem with both of these points of view.
As a feminist myself, I believe in the equality of both sexes. To me, a person should be looked at and judged by their character and their abilities, regardless of their gender or race. Therefore, it bothers me that some people may be voting for, or not voting for, Clinton based on the sole fact that she is a woman and are not considering her ability to lead this country.
This doesn’t mean I am not excited about the possibility of a woman being president, because I am. As a woman I want to see other women in power, and what position is more powerful than president? I just want to make sure voters are looking beyond gender and voting for someone because of what he or she will do for the country.
Given that Clinton is being portrayed as a feminist figure, it’s only fair to wonder whether or not she is actually a good representation of what a feminist should be. There are some flaws in Clinton’s judgement that make people question her character. For example, when her husband Bill Clinton cheated on her during his presidency, Hillary Clinton chose to stay married to him.
A lot of women do not agree with this. Feminists, for the most part, believe that women must be strong and independent. That means not staying with a man that cheated on you.
Second-year Tallahassee Community College student Katrina Erwin is one of the people who says the choice Hillary made bothers her.
“I don’t like that she stayed with someone after he cheated,” Erwin said. “I think she did it more for political reasons.”
Erwin also says Hillary Clinton isn’t a true feminist, but rather a feminist figure.
“People just consider her a feminist because she is a woman and she’s running for president,” Erwin said “She’s a feminist figure, but I don’t think she advocates for feminism at all.”
Third-year TCC student Amenah Charani, says the feminist views that Clinton is portraying to the people, aren’t actually views she agrees with.
“I think her opinions are swayed by her need to get other people’s approval,” Charani said. “I don’t think she speaks from her own beliefs.”
There are a lot of people, including myself, who are not completely on board with Hillary Clinton. I don’t agree with Clinton on a few issues, and I’m not sure she’s the best representation of a feminist. But I am “with her” not because of the fact she is a woman, but because of her views and what she says she will do for this country. Her being a woman is just icing on the cake. Regardless of what I feel, or anyone feels about her portrayal of feminism, a win for Clinton in November, would be a huge leap for our country, and an overall win for feminism.
