You know the point that Sarah Palin totally lost me? It was when she said “Oh, gosh, I never WANTED to be a governor, it just kind of happened for me. I was never that ambitious.”
And with that, I was done. Just what I needed, a female talking head downplaying ambition, downplaying her accomplishments as luck and something that other people made possible for her. God forbid a woman with a national platform got up and said “Yeah, I always wanted to do important things, so I worked really hard, and check it out: I’m a governor, and now a Vice Presidential Candidate. I know, it’s pretty badass.” Because it is pretty badass. And imagine how great it would have been for a generation of both women and men to hear that, and to get the chance to nod along. Instead, we got “Oh, gosh, no, I would never admit to WANTING things.” Just like a good girl should.
I was thinking about this today as I read Hillary Clinton’s twitter bio.
Wife, mom, lawyer, women & kids advocate, FLOAR, FLOTUS, US Senator, SecState, author, dog owner, hair icon, pantsuit aficionado, glass ceiling cracker, TBD…
Well, actually, when I read Hillary Clinton’s twitter bio, I first thought was “I want to be as awesome as her when I grow up”, but then I heard it discussed and then dismissed as “Self-aggrandizing.”
“She thinks a lot of herself”, was said.
Well.
Of my two choices — “Aw shucks, thanks guys for letting me play” or “I play the game, fairly awesomely” — I’m going to go with the second. Because maybe it is self-aggrandizing, but you know what: she’s earned it. Every single thing in that bio is true, and she should be absolutely proud of all of it, up to and including the pantsuit situation.
Because, man. If Hillary R Clinton can’t be proud of what she has accomplished, if Hillary R Clinton can’t get up and brag about having been a US Senator, Secretary of State, accomplished author and legitimate glass ceiling cracker, I just have no idea how the rest of us will ever gain traction. If doing all the above isn’t enough to give license to brag, I guess what they say is true: women really haven’t come that far after all.
InnerTeub 
THIS THIS ALL OF THIS. Except, I wouldn’t agree that it’s self-aggrandizing, because that would mean that she’s inflating her own accomplishments and making it sound like she’s better than she is, which is totally not the case. Straight-up honest about her own awesomeness? Yes. Exaggerating it? Nope. Which is why it’s extra awesome that she’s owning it.
I love her bio, I love you, I love everything hooray. OK except not Sarah Palin, because EXACTLY. “I was never that ambitious” omg, thank you for that, ma’am. That is why I always cringed when people held her up as a role model.
Exactly and well said.