I am historically non-political.
Honestly, I'm not even registered to vote. Though I will be soon.
This isn't because I don't care; it's because first, I'm Oklahoman, so my vote was basically a burner. Second, because I've never been educated enough on the people or the issues to vote.
And, though I am a very strong personality, Until I entered the work force, I had never considered myself a feminist.
I like gender roles, I think women probably are the, for lack of a better term, the "weaker" sex.
I don't really even like most women.
As this election season has progressed, though, it's become more and more difficult for me to contain my feelings.
This morning, after watching Michelle Obama's speech at the Democrat National Convention, I find myself needing an outlet.
At this point, it is pointless to continue to whine about who is running. Your feelings do not matter. What's done is done. Your choice now is to choose out of those two.
Yeah, vote third party and feel good about yourself, but recognize that your vote for a non mainstream candidate means nothing and helps nothing. Sure, it's your way to boycott without actually boycotting, but one of these two candidates will be president. Do you have no moral decency to not at least try to choose? Have some semblance of participation into our future?
Here is why I am voting for Hillary Clinton.
Do not read this as an apologetic for Hillary. Read this as a decision between Trump and Hillary.
Let's call a spade a spade: Obama was elected because he is black.
I have heard many a misogynist claim that it would be unfair to vote for Hillary because she is a woman.
But it is the same thing, friends. Same thing.
My non politically correct feelings have been that given the choices, it's Hillary's turn.
She was FLOTUS, she tried 8 years ago, and she has continued to be fiercely active in order to make any sort of movement as a woman in our political system.
If any woman is running or should win, it should be Hillary. She's the one who has taken the brunt of the criticism for being who she is. The same people who criticized her lack of femininity are the ones now criticizing her for being a woman.
Personally, while I see sexism as being second to racism, I can still see the way that breaking a couple hundred year streak of male-dominated society could start truly changing things for us.
Maybe I wasn't more feminist before because I didn't totally believe there was a reason to be.
However, after working in the professional world for just a few short years, I have already seen how blatant sexism is in the professional world.
The way I dress, the way I talk, the way I express myself, it's all under scrutiny. There is just something essentially wrong with being us. When a man is strong, he is seen as strong. When a woman is strong, she is called everything but that.
We mother children, we are active in the workforce, we are active in our churches and socio-political circles, we pretend everything is completely fine when we lose a couple pints of blood each month.
And we have to do it all in heels.
I have never felt so apologetic for being who I am than during this period of my life. It isn't even my workplace that's at issue, don't misunderstand. It's the whole structure of society that has been designed to make women into pseudo-masculine robots or to oversexualized bimbos.
I was a waitress a few years ago. Sometimes I would get bored. Delivering fajitas can only be so intellectually stimulating. So, I started doing social experiments.
The one that has stayed with me is the one I started after a few weeks of waitressing.
Until this time, I looked like myself. Hair pinned, light makeup, clean.
I recorded my tips from the first three weeks.
Then, I added heavy eye-makeup, bright red lips, a lot of volume in my short hair, and used a higher voice.
From day one of the experiment, I consistently made 20-35 percent or more in tips per day/week.
The same principle hasn't stopped. When I play into my feminine side even now, I am more apt to being liked. It's when I open my mouth, stand up for what I believe, and am unwavering in my convictions that I am seen as a major threat and a bully, when I fully believe that the same words from a man would not be met with such a response.
I am tired of women losing just because we are women.
I am tired of successful women succeeding through sacrifice of who they are.
Yes, there is probably a better candidate out there, there's no arguing that.
However, there isn't a stronger physical manifestation of the diligent fight for women's rights than Hillary. She has clawed her way to where she is.
She has horrible taste in attire.
She's not exactly delicate.
She's an actual criminal.
However, given such a choice between candidates, why would I not choose a woman just to choose a woman?
Trump is clearly a horrendous choice. Sexist, racist, thoroughly narcissistic. A lover of hate. A man who enjoys seeing the world burn with chaos just to see it burn. A man who perpetuates the ideas of pathetic, weak, bimbo women (from his comments about Heidi Klum to his moronic trophy wife to the maddening, sickening situation that is Freedom Kids).
Hillary, though she has some shades in her past, actually cares. Actually tries. Actually takes this seriously. Actually thinks men and women are created equally.
Why would I not vote for her in such a circumstance?
Why would I not jump at the chance to smash the glass ceiling stifling women in America?
I want to be able to tell my future daughters that they can be anything they strive for. And, I want when I say it to be able to hold up an example of that, rather than a backdrop of complete patriarchy.
It's time for a woman to win.
