Gosh, my weekends are huge lately. I wanted to sit down and be more organized in writing about attending the Women in the World conference last weekend, but this weekend is going to be as big and fun in a totally different way. So I need to go ahead and write this down.
These are my thoughts and memories on the Women in the World Conference from last Saturday. I only went to the Saturday session. I made the faster-than-snap judgement decision to buy a ticket when they announced the final special guest was Hillary. Hillary my love, Hillary my leader. Snap, click, ticket in hand (inbox.)
I packed some magazines but never pulled one out because this thing ran seamlessly without interruption. They would simply dim the lights and the next panel or speakers would appear instantly. That was great. So many awesome panels packed into a morning. Just as I was digesting one panel the next one was in full-swing.
There were so many amazing stories at every turn. In the security line before the thing the girl behind me was talking about the non-profit she manages and told this story:
Some medical clinics in villages in Africa do not have electricity, so sometimes in the dark of night, the midwife or care-giver holds their cellphone in their mouth to create light to sew up an episiotomy after a baby has been born.
Oh my god, we are such American spoiled brats. OK, so now my mind is in the right place: Bleeding liberal, like cartoon tears bleeding out of my bloody liberal heart.
It was open seating and I got in there about 9:30, so I was late, but my seat was good so I vowed to not get up. I did not want anything to prevent me from having a good seat for Meryl Streep & Hillary.
My notes are in a notebook at home and they’re wild but here are memories:
-The President of Kosovo is a young woman. Kosovo. She’s a classy badass with a police background. She makes so many American politicians look like total d-bags.
-The Digital Lives of Girls Panel could be a report in itself, but it thrilled me to see teenage women not only identify as feminists, but start blogs and network and share The Struggle.
Chelsea Clinton moderated this panel. The girls were overwhelmingly optimistic and hopeful about everything, and they didn’t feel like the internet is a danger zone because for every bad thing on the internet, there is a positive canceling it out.
At one point, a guy was on the stage. This was an odd sight after seeing so many powerful, amazing women. This gentleman was a film maker. His film is called 10x10 and one of the 10 in his film is a Nepalese girl who was sold into indentured servitude at 6. She was on the documentary clip being shown on the film screen with subtitles. In the subtitles she’s saying “I wrote a song about my experience” then in the auditorium we are hearing beautiful singing that doesn’t match up with what the girl on the film screen is saying anymore. They cut the film and that actual little girl was standing on the stage in the most beautiful get-up singing her song and I just started crying out through my eyeballs. It was so powerful! She was so tiny and beautiful. I drew her picture.
That former-slave (indentured servitude is modern-day slavery) girl singing so beautifully and hearing that she’s going to school now brought down the house. Even at that point, if I had not gotten to see Hillary, I would have still be so glad I came to this, because I was so wrung-out with emotion.
Tina Brown really pissed me off with this Princess Diana at 50 Newsweek cover, but this conference is so amazing I forgive her.
Meryl Streep came out in a crazy little jacket but she was going somewhere with that in her speech. I thought it was going to be a discussion between M & H, but M gave a speech, a lengthy introduction of Hillary, then Hillary gave a speech and I’ve been so pleased to find so many articles about what she said. Meryl (and I wish I was better with names) told about how radical women in developing/troubled nations have their photo taken with Hillary when she comes to meet with them and that photo becomes their bullet proof vest.
I remember being a very small girl in Arkansas and my mom telling me about how in the news people were being tough on Hillary for not changing her name from Hillary Rodham to Hillary Clinton. My mom was explaining how she was as established in her career as her husband, and as such an established professional, she shouldn’t have to change it.
Isn’t that such insignificant bullshit to what she’s dealing with today? And isn’t it so amazing how far she’s come? Yes and yes.
Meryl’s speech was a lot about how similar they were - Similar in age, how they both attended public school until they went to distinguished women’s colleges, then grad school at Yale.
Meryl said they took two different paths though, in that she was a cheerleader and Hillary was the student body president. M’s an actress and Hillary is Hillary. She said we shouldn’t scrutinize her hair or her jackets. Women should support each other. She said “We are all Hillary.” And I probably welled-up over that too. I cried a lot at this thing.
I cried so much. I loved this conference so much. I love teenage girls who write feminist and anti-bullying blogs so much. I love Hillary so much.
No one better bash Hillary in the comments. The ghost of my dead mother will haunt you if you do. We promise.
Highlights on HuffPo.
Hillary urges women not to take any shit.
These are my thoughts and memories on the Women in the World Conference from last Saturday. I only went to the Saturday session. I made the faster-than-snap judgement decision to buy a ticket when they announced the final special guest was Hillary. Hillary my love, Hillary my leader. Snap, click, ticket in hand (inbox.)
I packed some magazines but never pulled one out because this thing ran seamlessly without interruption. They would simply dim the lights and the next panel or speakers would appear instantly. That was great. So many awesome panels packed into a morning. Just as I was digesting one panel the next one was in full-swing.
There were so many amazing stories at every turn. In the security line before the thing the girl behind me was talking about the non-profit she manages and told this story:
Some medical clinics in villages in Africa do not have electricity, so sometimes in the dark of night, the midwife or care-giver holds their cellphone in their mouth to create light to sew up an episiotomy after a baby has been born.
Oh my god, we are such American spoiled brats. OK, so now my mind is in the right place: Bleeding liberal, like cartoon tears bleeding out of my bloody liberal heart.
It was open seating and I got in there about 9:30, so I was late, but my seat was good so I vowed to not get up. I did not want anything to prevent me from having a good seat for Meryl Streep & Hillary.
My notes are in a notebook at home and they’re wild but here are memories:
-The President of Kosovo is a young woman. Kosovo. She’s a classy badass with a police background. She makes so many American politicians look like total d-bags.
-The Digital Lives of Girls Panel could be a report in itself, but it thrilled me to see teenage women not only identify as feminists, but start blogs and network and share The Struggle.
Chelsea Clinton moderated this panel. The girls were overwhelmingly optimistic and hopeful about everything, and they didn’t feel like the internet is a danger zone because for every bad thing on the internet, there is a positive canceling it out.
At one point, a guy was on the stage. This was an odd sight after seeing so many powerful, amazing women. This gentleman was a film maker. His film is called 10x10 and one of the 10 in his film is a Nepalese girl who was sold into indentured servitude at 6. She was on the documentary clip being shown on the film screen with subtitles. In the subtitles she’s saying “I wrote a song about my experience” then in the auditorium we are hearing beautiful singing that doesn’t match up with what the girl on the film screen is saying anymore. They cut the film and that actual little girl was standing on the stage in the most beautiful get-up singing her song and I just started crying out through my eyeballs. It was so powerful! She was so tiny and beautiful. I drew her picture.
That former-slave (indentured servitude is modern-day slavery) girl singing so beautifully and hearing that she’s going to school now brought down the house. Even at that point, if I had not gotten to see Hillary, I would have still be so glad I came to this, because I was so wrung-out with emotion.
Tina Brown really pissed me off with this Princess Diana at 50 Newsweek cover, but this conference is so amazing I forgive her.
Meryl Streep came out in a crazy little jacket but she was going somewhere with that in her speech. I thought it was going to be a discussion between M & H, but M gave a speech, a lengthy introduction of Hillary, then Hillary gave a speech and I’ve been so pleased to find so many articles about what she said. Meryl (and I wish I was better with names) told about how radical women in developing/troubled nations have their photo taken with Hillary when she comes to meet with them and that photo becomes their bullet proof vest.
I remember being a very small girl in Arkansas and my mom telling me about how in the news people were being tough on Hillary for not changing her name from Hillary Rodham to Hillary Clinton. My mom was explaining how she was as established in her career as her husband, and as such an established professional, she shouldn’t have to change it.
Isn’t that such insignificant bullshit to what she’s dealing with today? And isn’t it so amazing how far she’s come? Yes and yes.
Meryl’s speech was a lot about how similar they were - Similar in age, how they both attended public school until they went to distinguished women’s colleges, then grad school at Yale.
Meryl said they took two different paths though, in that she was a cheerleader and Hillary was the student body president. M’s an actress and Hillary is Hillary. She said we shouldn’t scrutinize her hair or her jackets. Women should support each other. She said “We are all Hillary.” And I probably welled-up over that too. I cried a lot at this thing.
I cried so much. I loved this conference so much. I love teenage girls who write feminist and anti-bullying blogs so much. I love Hillary so much.
No one better bash Hillary in the comments. The ghost of my dead mother will haunt you if you do. We promise.
Highlights on HuffPo.
Hillary urges women not to take any shit.
