Women for President

Maya Angelou said, “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” It was only 96 years ago that women were granted the right to vote. Among the first ballots cast were our very own great grandmothers. Hard to believe, right?

Even more recently, when men went off to the Vietnam war, women were working in factories getting paid a mere 61 cents to every dollar men made. Once the war was over and men came back home, women lost their jobs and were told to go back to being good housekeepers and wives.

Now, it’s 2016 and we have our very first female presidential candidate nominated by a major political party. From first lady, to senator, to secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton is the first woman candidate with a real chance to become commander-in-chief of our great Republic. Whether you like her or not, agree or disagree with her policies, her decades of public service and her ascent into the highest political ranks (all but dominated by men) are impressive.

I’m not making this about politics or trying to persuade you on which candidate is better suited. All I’m asking is why aren’t we making a bigger deal about this? We have our FIRST woman presidential candidate who will likely take on the highest office in our country. Regardless of political party, we should be enormously proud that in less than a century from being given the right to vote, a woman may become our president. Consider the impact this has on all the little girls in our country; the immeasurable tacit power it gives our daughters, our sisters, our nieces, the permission to dream big…really, really big.

If Hillary becomes president, she will make history. It will also mean that three of the most powerful democracies in the world are lead by women: US, UK, and Germany. Out of 196 countries, only 22 women hold the highest office of power. Imagine the global reverberation of the United States ELECTING a woman to lead the biggest economy and military in the world. Imagine all the future young ladies having the most powerful woman on the globe to look up to. Whether we realize it or not, it’s significant enough to reshape gender constructs within us all.

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Hey! I’m Arsiak.

Hi I’m Arsiak Vartenian and I’m the Founder and Host of ‘Smart is the New Sexy’ an uplifting talk show and online platform that highlights the power of dreaming big through storytelling, connection, community and heart.

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