Let’s flip the channel from The Apprentice credits and give Hillary some credit.
It’s reasonable to assume that the presidential election thus far has gone above and beyond what Americans, hell even the world, could have imagined. But setting aside the intense political opinions, disputes, and accusations, a major milestone was reached at this year’s Democratic National Convention - Hillary Clinton was officially named as the Democrat’s presidential nominee for the fast approaching November election.
Regardless of personal politics, it is important to recognize that even in the midst of what some could consider a comical and outrageous ride from both parties, Hillary receiving the Democratic nomination is a crucial feat. (You were a good supporting actor Donald, but Hillary is now the lead.) The concept of the conversation shifting from ridiculousness to history, ahem, herstory, is groundbreaking in itself.
Women gained the right to vote in 1920, not even a hundred years ago. Many of our late relatives could have never dreamed of being able to vote, let alone casting a ballot for a woman to hold such high authority. Although women have a long fight left before we are truly equal to men on every level, there is now a woman sitting at the very top. This alone can change how we move through the world and experience every single day.
Lastly, if the politics are still irking you, realize that even if Hillary wasn’t “who you’d want to be the first woman president to be,” can we afford to wait any longer? No woman in politics, especially on her timeline, is going to have a perfect track record. Seeing it as an example of what it means to be a woman striving for equality is better representation. The idea that Hillary has to be perfect to celebrate such a milestone for women is unrealistic and honestly hurtful. After all, the last thing we should be stressing to youth, especially young women, is that perfection is the only way to achieve their goals or to even be deemed notable for doing so.
Hillary Clinton could be the next President of the United States. We are allowed to criticize and be critical of her authority and how she upholds it. If we ultimately remain displeased, we can just strive to do it better- not just dream about doing it in the first place. The door is finally open, and there’s actually a hallway behind it.