In elementary school, I remember being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. The whole class gave their answers, with all the girls wanting to be teachers and mothers, and the boys ranging from astronauts to becoming the next President of the United States (yay gender roles). While I was growing up, I was told that I could do anything that I set my mind to, but I realized later on that the phrase had a limited meaning for females. A few years later, I started paying attention to elections and I said aloud one day that I wanted to be the next POTUS, but no one took me seriously. To the people that overheard, it was a cute idea, and they gave me a soft smile, but I wasn't someone to be taken seriously because I'm a female. I remember asking why we never had a female become President, and the answers ranged to "it's a man's job" to "women aren't rational enough to become POTUS", and that was the end of the discussion. I kept my mouth shut from then on and thought maybe someday, a woman would prove those accusations wrong.
Fast forward to 16 years later.
When I first saw Hillary campaign for President for the 2008 election, we knew that she was serious. It was a bold move, and though she ended up dropping out of the election, I admired her courage. Eight years later, Hillary came back to run for President and this time, she became a Presidential Candidate and she was taken seriously to becoming the first female President. It finally became my reality that a woman was running, and honestly, I couldn't have been more excited. I watched the campaigns between Trump and Clinton and the ongoing debates and the accusations I was told as a child seemed so far from the truth.
First off, if we want to talk about who is rationale and who isn't, Hillary won by a landslide on being levelheaded. Back in the day, females were always thought of to be irrational, too emotional and hysterial, and I never saw that once with Clinton, but I can easily say I saw it nonstop with Trump. Trump's emotions are what made people not take him seriously while he was starting to campaign. He was shouting off ideas, his opinions and his thoughts and because they weren't put in a stately, rational matter, everyone thought he was hot-headed and high tempered (I still think that's true). To me, he was just saying everything that was on his mind and trying to cause an uproar. To many, he was a joke and him being taken seriously was slim to none. It wasn't until the past year and a half that Trump was taken seriously, become a presidential candidate and now the President-Elect.
To the reason why females couldn't become President because it was a "man's job", I saw more qualifications in Hillary than I did (and still do) with Trump. In the 2008 elections, there were arguments that Hillary wasn't qualified enough to become President, but her involvement in the political world is quite substantial. Hillary has been the First Lady, Senator of New York and the Secretary of State. Donald Trump has been running a business, and a TV show. One of the things I admire about America is that just about anyone can run for President, but it is truly a double standard for women to run for President versus a man. Sixteen years ago, I was given a reason that women wouldn't be qualified enough to be President, and then when Trump runs for President and I ask about his qualifications and why should he be the next President, and the answers are "well why not?"
Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, or somewhere in between like me, we can all agree that this election was one for the books. Also whether your affiliation, you have to admit that it was amazing and flat out great to watch a woman run for President. I am so thankful every day that despite the outcome, I was able to bear witness to this election and I'm still proud to be an American every day. For the people so many years ago doubted that a woman could become President, this one's for you. Hillary may not be the newly President-Elect, but she just opened the pathway for millions of little girls and young women that can believe it is truly possible to become the next President of the United States.
