Hillary Clinton faces “outright sexism” and “sexist condescension” on her way to becoming president of the United States. That claim is being made by singer Barbra Streisand, a longtime backer of the Clinton family, in an article for the Huffington Post.
It’s been 24 years since I said in a speech for Women in Film, “Men and women are clearly measured by a different yardstick. And that makes me angry. Of course, I’m not supposed to be angry. A woman should be soft-spoken, agreeable, ladylike, understated. In other words, stifled. Language gives us an insight into the way women are viewed in a male-dominated society. A man is commanding, a woman is demanding. He’s assertive – she’s aggressive. He strategizes – she manipulates. A man is forceful – a woman is pushy. He shows leadership – she’s controlling. A man is a perfectionist – a woman’s a pain in the ass.” It’s been decades since those speeches, but there is still outright sexism in much of the commentary on Secretary Clinton’s campaign.
Streisand concludes, “We should stop being afraid of women, and meet them on a level playing field without resorting to name calling and sexist condescension.
“Hillary Clinton isn’t afraid. It’s about time that a woman with strength, experience and compassion leads our already great nation in this time of global insecurity. If the pundits or certain GOP candidates are afraid of that, maybe they should just try smiling more.”
