Last week, within a 24-hour period, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Tina Fey, the star, producer, writer, and creator of NBC’s “30 Rock,” grandly left their respective stages and said goodbye to the nation and, yes, to women like me. For those of us who are of an age that is no longer young but not yet distinguished, the dual departures of Clinton and Fey came as something of a blow.
Both women were appealing because of their substantive talents, their unapologetic ambition, and their capacity to remain calm when everybody wanted something from them. Both shined not just under constant supervision and analysis, but also in the face of the expectation that their choices should somehow reflect on all of womanhood. Women often use terms — “tiger moms,” “stay at home moms,” “how-does-she-do-it? moms” — or fall into camps that tend to pit us against each other.
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Please, any writer at the Globe, when you heap praise on Hillary, please list accomplishments. Simply BEING Secretary of State, traveling etc are interesting but not really worthy of putting her on a pedastal.
It's not an accomplishment to be secretary of state?
hot-tomato ... from Hillary's selfish point of view, maybe. Yes, she managed to make a deal, twist some arms, call on her hubby for help.
But when the State Departments own internal review is "Systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels"
... not from the country's point of view.
Good article, and yes, both Clinton and Fey are in their own way contemporary role models. The only weaknesss in your characterization is how 'mom' fits into the picture, which you only begin to delve into in your last sentence. Tina Fey can have two babies, and maintain her image as a professional actress (in itself only a theatrical portrayal), because she can afford to--she has the money to have a full-level support infrastructure for her children. Clinton, on the other hand, was primarily 'mom'...and Bill's wife, and could only go on to develop an independent career *after* she raised her child. For most women, having a child changes everything, and few have the energy to blossom into a second career as Hillary has done. As much as biology represses this fact when a woman is deciding to have a baby, it's for the most part a 24/7 job for the most vital years of a woman's life. In today's world over 90% of all women have babies, and until society comes to terms with the tensions and contradictions of a 'professional' woman who is also a mom, women will continue to suffer the significant mental stress of unrealistic expectations.
"Hillary, Tina, and girls like them"
Please, headline writers, you diminish the point of this article by referring to these women as "girls."
both liberal dems.
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Telling how no one ever mentions Margret Thatcher who actually accomplished everthing Hillary supporters claimed she did. And she did it on her own without her husbands name.
"History will be kind to Hillary Clinton". Yes, if the Liberal Globe writers try to REWRITE History, by completely ignoring Benghazi. The Globe agrees with Hillary when she said "What does it matter"? Also, exactly what did she ACCOMPLISH in her position as Secretary of State? The "Arab Spring? How's that turning out?
Latest State Dept related... news Mahmood Ahmadinijad of Iran is visiting Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi of Egypt "to smooth out differences". Egypt had always been an enemy of Iran. Their leaders haven't met for 30 years. ..Now they can get tpgether to help out Hamas and/or coordinate an attack on Israel...This momentus event was made possible by our Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. .Wow! And I thought in my other blog that Hillary didn't accomplish anything...Let's see how Barack Obama is going to explain this one.....And, of course, don't expect the Globe to print this news.