Hillary Clinton: Feminist or Populist?

In light of Hillary Clinton’s disappointing poll numbers in the Democratic primary, many notable feminists such as Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright have been standing up for Clinton, saying that it is the duty of women to vote for Hillary and implying that young women who support Sanders are only doing so for male attention. This is sexist. This is wrong. This is reprehensible from women who supposedly are champions of the Feminist movement. As women who understand how hard it can be to be taken seriously as a woman, and how decisions made by women are often scrutinized unjustly, Steinem and Albright should know better than to insult and degrade the voters that could allow the first female president to enter the White House.

Albright has been repeating her famous quote “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other,” as she stumps for Clinton. The intention behind this quote is certainly admirable. Throughout history women have been pitted against each other by the patriarchy. Women have been encouraged to bring each other down and insult each other. However, the use of that quote as a reason to vote for Clinton implies that women should vote for Clinton simply because she is female. That is just as bad as not voting for her due to the fact that she is a woman. In both instances the policy decisions that would be made by Clinton, what should be the true qualifier for the presidency, are ignored in favor of the candidate’s anatomy. Women have no inherent obligation to vote for any candidate regardless of the history of oppression faced by the women in this nation. Just because Clinton is female does not guarantee that she will be any more effective in securing women’s rights than a male candidate. To say that a candidate’s gender inherently makes them electable is sexist. Saying that women should vote for Hillary due to her femininity is sexist regardless of the history of oppression faced by women.

When asked about the popularity of Sanders with young women, Steinem said on the Bill Maher show that “When you’re young, you’re thinking: ‘Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie.’” This carries on the outdated trope that women are incapable of thinking for themselves and are subject to the whims of their emotions and hormones. It is incredibly condescending to assume that young women make their voting decisions in order to attract male attention. Steinem shows a clear disconnection between the older and younger generations of female voters. This is reflected in her inability to understand that young women may want to vote for Sanders simply because they prefer his policy stances. Her adamant belief that older women must understand what it means to be a feminist better than younger women further exhibits this separation. Older women certainly faced struggles that younger women today do not. This doesn’t mean that younger women are incapable of understanding the history of oppression against women or the sacrifices made by older women. To assume that younger women are incapable of truly understanding feminism and that they make their electoral decisions based off of men enforces the very sexist ideals that women such as Steinem and Albright have fought to dismantle. 

Clinton is certainly a fantastic candidate, and there are many reasons to support her. However, the fact that she is a woman should not be the deciding factor in any electoral decision. To court the young women that she needs in order to win, Clinton must bridge the generational gap that is currently allowing Sanders to get to her level. A good way to do that would be to not be condescending. Telling women that they are obligated to vote for a candidate, and telling those that wish to vote for an opposing candidate generally do not help gain votes for the said candidate. If Clinton truly wishes to be a champion for women, her campaign must stop pushing sexist and condescending messages. As a woman who has had to face great adversity to reach where she is today, as someone who continues to face sexism at the hands of her critics, Clinton should know better than to support a message that reduces young women to dumb bimbos purely motivated by sex.