08 June 2016

Thought Provoking

I do not want to discuss politics here, so if you are tempted to praise/rant/illuminate in the comments, please refrain from doing so.

But, for the first time in history, the U.S. has a presumptive nominee for President from one of the major parties.  Whether you loathe, like, or just don't care about Hillary Clinton, she did just make history, and it's a milestone.  Good for her, I say.

When I was a little girl, the newspaper was still divided into "Help Wanted - Male" and "Help Wanted - Female" sections.  At different points during my time in elementary and high school, I mentioned possible careers I would like (sportswriter, veterinarian), and was told they were not things that girls could do.  Any sports played by girls were in gym class only.

I am 60 years old, so this was not that long ago.  We have indeed come a long way.

I mean, this article is from 1968, and if you read it, it sounds like it's from a much earlier time!

******

And speaking of women, and how everyone has an opinion about what clothes are appropriate for older women, how they should wear their hair, etc., a friend sent me a link to this blog post and though I am not a fan of the F word, it did make me laugh in the context of the posting.  

I mean, even though we all know that older women all look like this:


Whereas, older men are always handsome, right?



That's it for now, I need to go out into the library reading room and "Shush" people ... 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I loved my Dad, but he had definite opinions on what his girls would do after high school

No college ---- why? You're just going to quit working when you get married.

You can be a secretary, a nurse (without college???), or a teacher (again? with no college????)

I wanted to go into the Coast Guard. Well, THAT was a no go. Ended up being a secretary (heck, I needed a job) and then once Stephen came along, I did a bunch of menial jobs (including making jewelry in a store window to draw in tourists. YAY!!!) and then 15 years of being a substitute teacher.

But to this day, I still wish I had defied my father and joined the Coast Guard. :-(

Glad that in this day and age SOME things are easier for women. But, we won't totally be free on the stigma until we aren't discussing what Hillary is wearing, but what she is SAYING!

Vera said...

Fortunately I grew up in a liberated household and was encouraged to do/be whatever I wanted...and to go to college...and grad school if I wished. That article from 68 is a hoot! I especially love the quote about the President is supposed to be a father figure for the country and, therefore, no woman should be president. What? Loved the other link too Bridget - great pictures (though I'll admit some of them were a little scary).

Marie said...

I had already graduated from high school in 1968, but reading that Buffalo newspaper article made me remember that most women of the time were borderline Stepford wives, and seldom got identified as themselves, only by "Mrs" stuck in front of their husbands' names. I was among them. I married young and took my husband's name, but when we were divorced three years later, getting my original name restored was part of the divorce agreement. When I grew up and learned more about who I was and what I wanted, it rankled to hear women introduced as "Mrs. John Whatever." I'm glad I grew up in that time because I remember how it was, and I can appreciate how far we've come since then. I even mustered the backbone about 20+ years ago not to let a couple of Middle Eastern (Egyptian) graduate students assume I was a second-class person. When they wanted something, they learned to ask me for it rather than tell me what to do for them. By the time they had finished their studies in the U.S., we were friends and they were calling me their "sister."

Dang! Did I get off the subject? I guess I was more affected the by article than I thought. LOL!

elns said...

Haha! Thanks for sharing that post. It's fabulous. I had to share it too.

I prefer being the shusher than being shushed. I promise you I was always really good in the library. When I was younger (high school) I was a library nerd and didn't like to go with friends too often because I was embarrassed if they didn't follow the rules.

I used to read in the stacks in a corner. Oh good memories. I can still close my eyes and smell them. Oh man. Thanks for the memories too!

Mereknits said...

Hilary should be commended for this historical event. Plus I really like her anyway. I told my parents I was going to college, they agreed but did not force things. And I told them I was going away to college, and that is exactly what I did!
Hugs,
MEredith