Just days ago, Kellyanne Conway stated that she felt her gender was an advantage in her dealings with Donald Trump.
She had said that when she stated her opinion to Trump, that she would serve it with a “big smile” and would remain deferential.
She indicated that one of the reasons she would remain deferential is because she did not consider herself to be his peer, and that he was an “elder.”
Kellyanne is 50 years old, while Trump is 70.
The word deferential may connote a sense of respect.
Or, it can also bring to the table a sense of submissiveness.
At 50 years old, should we use age as a reason to defer?
Deferring to an elder brings to mind perhaps adolescence or the childhood years.
Yet, as a grown adult woman, when is one quite old enough to not submit to the unequal weight of opinion and intellect based on age?
This issue certainly brings to light the pervasive stereotype of the “young woman.”
Although youth is often glorified, albeit unhealthily, in our society as a signifier of beauty and attractiveness, the characterization of a “young woman” often brings with it the false connection to diminished intellect, experience, wisdom, or knowledge.
The very core of our democratic values are based on the idea that men, and women, are created equal, and that one should not be discriminated based on age, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, etc. In the realm of democratic politics, and elsewhere, the merit or utility of someone’s intellect should be based solely on factors such as their ideas, mindset, knowledge, opinions, goals, and objectives.
Kellyanne Conway has said that she is anti-feminist because she believes that contemporary feminism is anti-men.
Yet, the core goals and objectives of contemporary feminism are what they have always been. That is, as simply and concisely as the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines feminism, it is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.”
There is no alternative feminist reality in legitimate theory, activities, and organizations where women are somehow hating the other gender.
On the other hand, deeply passionate activists and feminist theorists understand that the equality of women also helps to further the equality of men.
When one gender or group is diminished, or at worst, subjugated, the opposite gender or group is also confined and constrained.
Following the women’s rights and liberation movements of decades past, men’s societal roles have also been liberated.
Further, the ongoing liberation of the LGTBQ community had benefited from the increasing equality of the sexes.
Femininity, or lack of masculinity, or vice versa, does not define a person’s strength, potential, success, or intellect.
Yet, with all the strides made so far in the pursuit of equality, feminism and various other causes aimed at liberating false stereotypes and constraints cannot merely declare victory, and retreat.
The deep need for the active engagement and conversations regarding equality will continually ebb and flow. With all of the controversy and commotion caused by the early months of this new administration, compounding evidence of Russian collusion, and falling confidence on both sides of the competence of the executive, it may seem understandable to overlook the fact that the senate majority leader decided on 13 men, and no women, to write the new Health Care Bill.
As a woman, that some would like to characterize as “young,” should I remain deferential to this decision?
Age may be relative, but justice and equality is not. It would be beneficial for women, and men, of all ages, to become, or remain, activists and defenders of the basic tenets of democratic values which include equality and justice for all. This activism starts within in our own communities: in our homes, community organizations, and in our local politics.
Women, at age 50, or at any age, do not need a feminine, or coquettish, smile while offering an opinion, nor does she need to reduce her status or appearance of ability due to age.
We are all peers as democratic citizens, in the realm of politics, and in the arena of civic engagement, with the objective of advancing the public good and bending the arc of the moral universe toward justice.
Diana Poulos-Lutz
Mineola
