A lot of people call Hillary Clinton a bitch. The word is so easy to say; it rolls seamlessly off the tongue, and there’s no fear that she might hear it. I once asked my sweet cupcake of a grandma how she felt about Clinton as a presidential candidate, and she said the same thing: “Oh, that woman is a bitch,” to which I pressed, “Well, how do you know that?” My grandma replied that she just could tell that she was a bitch. This was in 2008. I still hear people saying it now. “She just seems so cold,” I often overhear. Clinton is probably the most famous person we don’t actually know, and let’s be honest; it’s always easy to label an intimidating girl a ‘biotch’ if you’re not close to her.

The media has us closer than ever to public figures these days through various social media outlets that often are controlled by the figures themselves. Society likes to feel as connected as it can to people of power and influence. I will admit I love to see what Beyonce eats for breakfast, and I know I’m not the only one who loves seeing family pictures of the Obamas. It is incredibly entertaining to watch the president talking on late-night shows and commenting on Kanye’s announcement to run in 2020. I feel like he's "just like us" when I see pictures of him on vacation, posing with celebrities and fans, and walking his dog. He seems, for a political figure and man of great power -- normal, and we as normal people love celebrities who we feel are just like us. The “every man” is someone that we Americans hope can lead and connect with us at the same time. I’m not sure, however, that the same can be said of a female or an “every woman” (not the Whitney Houston kind).

As I approach entering the workforce (hopefully one day), I anxiously anticipate having to take on a certain persona in order to climb the professional ladder. This summer I worked with a girl who had previously been an assistant to a woman who built her own extremely successful business, one whom I looked up to and marveled at. Whenever I saw her at work, I’d think to myself, “Wow, that lady is the man.” Hah! I asked the girl what working under the boss was like -- “Was she not the most awesome?” I inquired. The girl said, “Actually, she’s kind of a bitch.”

Oh no, the "B" word again. The girl and I talked about the woman for a little while, and I realized that since she worked in a male-dominated field, how else was she supposed to act? If she were simply sweet and friendly all the time to compliment her incredible sense of style, perhaps she wouldn’t have had the same command necessary to move her company forward. Or maybe she would seem like a flirt, or a little ditzy. So being a bitch I guessed worked the best to set her on the track for success so she could boss around men while still looking feminine.

As sexist and maybe “anti-feminist” as it sounds, it often seems like many of the most powerful women play the role of bitch figure (Clinton) or flirtatious figure (Sarah Palin) with little room in-between. Take one of my favorite expressions, “Boss Ass Bitch.” To those that do not understand the phrase, it means a woman who is in command. But if you think about it, why must a fierce woman always be a “bitch,” even if the term isn’t overtly being used as an insult?

The effect of opening a magazine and seeing Hillary Clinton getting her nails done with a friend, or shopping with her daughter, or just doing anything that women stereotypically like to do is very different than seeing Barack Obama play golf or do activities that are stereotypically male. It portrays her as human, yes, but I think it undermines her sense of power and makes her look weak, with needless explanation. So I guess my question would be -- can women still command power while not being labeled as a “type” of person, or must we still choose a category of “woman” to fit into in order to get ahead? It may seem like a stupid issue (that I may have oversimplified) to mull over, but I think all of us girls subconsciously contemplate what approach to act by.