April 28th has been designated “Take Back The Blog” day – day to celebrate women’s full participation in all aspects of society. In thinking about this topic, I kept reminiscing about all the women — real and fictional — who inspired me.
I was born in the 1950s, too late for Rosie the Riveter and Mata Hari. Women were being relegated, once again, to the roles of helpmate and homemaker. The range of women I had available as role models was limited by my generation, class and geography.
I remember one summer when I was about ten years old searching for a biography about a woman to read. I’d covered Betsy Ross and Clara Barton and was having a hard time finding another female whose life story had been deemed worth writing about. Finally, I came upon the biography of Francis Marion. I had never heard of “her” but I thought that anyone who had two girl names must be awesome. I was quite disappointed when I found out he was a revolutionary war hero nicknamed the Swamp Fox!
During my elementary school years the two female figures who captured my imagination most were Nancy Drew and Anna Pavlova.
Nancy, of course, was the plucky, All-American, smart yet feminine detective, the star character of a seemingly infinite number of mysteries. Anna, was the adored Russian prima ballerina, who traveled the world and melted hearts as she fluttered, in the spotlight, to her demise with strains of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake in the background. Two strong threads intertwining. The one resourceful, brave and competent. The other fragile, dramatic and adored.
Throw in the mystic St. Teresa of Avila and the preternaturally cute Shirley Temple and you get an idea of the range of feminine roles that were churning in my psyche.
In my teen years, fictional heroines drew my attention: Jane Eyre, the repressed and smoldering Bronte character. (of course, Rochester may have been part of the attraction) and Scarlett O’Hara, the vixen, temptress and master manipulator of Gone With the Wind(of course, Rhett Butler may have been part of the attraction). Hey, I was a teenager.
Through the decades, my list of heroines changed and grew: Artemis, Charlie’s Angels, Barbara Jordan, Anne Rice, Jackie Kennedy, Susan Sarandon, Shirley Chisholm, Norma Rae,Christine Cegelis, Jane Addams, Susan Hu, Zephyr Teachout, Elle Woods, Rachel Maddow, Jane Campion, Elphiba and Glinda, The Dixie Chicks, Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Wow. That is some conglomeration!
I wonder who inspires you. Which women — real or fictional — make you feel empowered, or smart, or strong or connected? Mae Jemison? Lady MacBeth? Mia Hamm? Marie Curie? Rachel Barton? Jo March? Eleanor Roosevelt? Come on. Dish.
the late, great Betty Carter;Laura in Delmore Schwartz’ “The World is a Wedding”; Ema Sintamarian; Shannon Wright (the artist, not the musician); Joan Didion; Cynthia Ozich; the sarcastic older sister in Naguib Mafouz’ Cairo Trilogy; Judith Jamison; Lucinda Williams; the late Oriani Fallaci before she devolved to Muslim-hater, the late Suzanne Langer. And my best friend.
What a list of amazing women.
Judith Jamison performing “Revelation” was a force of nature. Strength, power, grace — I’ll never forget it.
Miss Betty was an integral part of my childhood, and she still inspires me today. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of summer camp at her farm.
Wow! She should have been famous. I wish I could have known her.
MARISACAT!
First off, the unsung black women of the abolitionist, civil rights and black power movements.
Such as Maria Stewart, Lydia Hamilton Smith, Harriet Tubman, Diane Nash, Ida B. Wells, Assata Shakur, and Fannie Lou Hamer.
These are only a few, but folks only seem to know Coretta King and Rosa Parks.
Then there are just ladies I admire:
Another great list. It reminded me of another unsung black woman activist: Lucy Parsons who was involved in labor and other social justice issues.
I had never heard of Mother Leafy Anderson, but with such a wonderful name, I just had to google her. Fascinating. I want to read more about her.
my list together.
Lucy Parsons was one hell of a woman. Black and Native American, she was in an interracial marriage with a white man who was an anarchist during the Haymarket Riot. He was brought up on trumped up charges and executed with several other “instigators.” Lucy became an anarchist herself.
I loved her; I don’t think that I could have taken the road that she took, but it took awful courage for her to take up her husband’s work until she was considered just as or more dangerous than he. I consider her right up there with Red Emma Goldman.
Yeah, It is amazing the courage that Lucy and others showed. I wish I could channel it. She was on my mind particularly because of the approach of May Day.
Speaking of May Day reminds me that International Workers Rights Day is coming up which leads me to think of Mother Jones.
Hey, you guys in the pond, we haven’t heard from any of you. What women did you find inspirational?
Do you? 🙂
I figure if I say Catherine Bach, Jacqueline Smith or Liz Phair, I may not only date myself, but get hurt! 🙂
But seriously:
Abigail Adams
Coach C. Vivian Stringer (Rutgers womens basketball coach)
Now, northcountry, there is a difference between titillation and inspiration — at least some times. 😉
Thanks for adding to the list.
OK, my great, great, great grandmother Catherine who arrived in Baltimore from Guernsey, CI around 1806 with her father and settled in the Ohio valley. I have a wonderful history of her early days written by one of her daughters. Also Eleanor Roosevelt, mentioned above, who I suspect, was the real architect of the New Deal. My state Senator Vi Simpson, who is now Indiana Senate Minority Leader, my mother and grandmothers and the woman in my sig line.
Yay, thanks for adding to the list. And I love your sig line!
There are a myriad of women who have inspiried me as an adult, two that have not been named yet and passed recently are Molly Ivins and Ann Richards.
But as a child, I had a real fascination with Pippi Longstocking. Here’s what wiki says about her:
Though lacking in much formal education, Pippi is very intelligent in a common-sense fashion, and has a well-honed sense of justice and fair play. She will show respect (though still in her own unique style) for adults who treat her and other children fairly. Her attitude towards the worst of adults (from a child’s viewpoint) is often that of a vapid, foolish and babblemouthed child, and few of her targets realize just how sharp and crafty Pippi is until she’s made fools of them. Pippi has an amazing talent for spinning lies and tall tales, though they are usually in the form of humorously strange stories rather than lying with malicious intent.
Go Pippi! And Ann Richards — I kind of hoped she’d be our first woman president.
I so loved Pippi Longstocking!
I also want to give a shout out to Ursula K. LeGuin, Simone de Beauvoir, Mary Shelley, Mother Jones, Georgia O’Keefe, Margaret Mead, Betty Friedan, and Jane Goodall.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,yes, yes, yes and yes!
I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder and her pluck. She was sassy and courageous and had a tomboy spirit that I shared.
These days I’m very inspired by Elizabeth Edwards who is incredibly intelligent, straightforward and courageous, as well as being a wonderful writer. She taught me that being ‘just a mother’ at certain times in your life is one of the most important jobs in the world and doesn’t diminish your worth as a person.
Lastly, my 22 year old daughter who has overcome ADD and shyness to become a tenacious and responsible woman who sometimes takes my breath away.
Beautiful. You brought tears to my eyes.
Cindy Sheehan, whom I was fortunate enough to meet in Crawford…in a ditch.
The entire female crew of the America’s Cup yacht Mighty Mary
Susan Butcher, Iditarod Champion who passed away this past year.
And my own Granma Mary, who came to Manhattan from Ireland, alone, when she was 17 years old and carried the heart of a leprechaun her entire lifetime.
Thanks, Super. I’m not sure I’ve ever met anybody in a ditch. Your Grandmother sounds like an unstoppable combo of formidable and charming.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was at a youth event at my church, which was taking place in advance of today’s consecration of the new bishop in our dioscese.
Here are a couple of recent things from her
Episcopal leader holds firm on gay rights
Schori finds commonality in science and religion
Thanks, Renee. Wonderful to have another spiritual leader on our list.
Pakou Hang, who was Deputy Political Director of Paul Wellstone’s last campaign is currently running for City Council in St. Paul. She was inspired to do so on election night 2006 watching Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim ever elected to Congress. She’s challenging an older man who is entrenched in city politics. The endorsing convention that happened a couple of weeks ago ended in a draw. So, she’s on her way.
Here’s a video clip that captures her passion and enthusiasm:
Thanks for introducing us to Pakou Hung. WE need women of passion and enthusiasm representing us.
who graduated with a Master’s in Greek and Latin from the University of Chicago in the 1930s and when being a Jewish woman made getting a university position impossible, went back to school and got a MSW.
It was no secret in the family that I was her favorite niece — she may not have given birth to me but I was her child in just about every other way. She graced me with her love of ideas and learning, made sure that I had every confidence in my abilities, encouraged me to explore all my interests, no matter how unsuitable to a 1950s girlhood, and supported me in whatever cockamamie thing I decided to try.
I can’t imagine my life without her and I will always be grateful that I never had to.
What a lovely tribute. You and Aunt Nancy were lucky to have each other.
It’s a little terrifying that I have to think about this. The male heroes role right off the tongue…
Ok. My mother (of course). My grandmother (of course). My sister (step-sister, nothing like me, but a remarkable mother). Simone de Bouvoir (brilliant). Susan B. Anthony (when we had to act out the life of an historical character in the 3rd grade, my mother made me be her). Jane Addams. Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Dorothy Parker. Mary Oliver. Susan Sarandon. Tyra Banks (don’t ask). Audrey Hepburn (‘s strong-willed & dreamy characters). Katherine Hepburn (‘s strong willed & pragmatic characters). Jane Eyre (agree about Rochester). Elizabeth Bennet (ditto with Mark Darcy). Sonia from Crime and Punishment (but no ditto for Raskolnikov). Most Russian women (lightyears ahead of us…). Tara and the girls at RVA. MaryScott O’Connor. Feminist bloggers everywhere. Kahli. Christine. Sandra (who is running for office). Angela (who fights for people’s rights at the UN). Erin (who inspires me just by being herself).
To name a few, I guess…
Hi Poemless!
I know what you mean, I had a long list of males on my list as well.
Dorothy Parker! Of, course.
Sandra is running for office? Shoot me an email.
Agree too with all the strong, feminist voices in the blogoshpere.
It’s a scary thing that about the only thing I remember from growing up are brief mentions of Harriet Tubman, Sacagawea, Dolly Madison, Anne Frank in the history books I had…the rest was left up to white males who supposedly started and ran the country.
One other female figure that made brief appearances when I got a bit older was Angela Davis who the media pretty much crucified.
In my early 20’s the ERA and feminist movement was in full swing and I finally got to see real women, strong women making news/headlines-of course for the most part denigrated extensively…my sheroes from that time had to be everyone involved with starting MS. magazine..I used to buy and read those cover to cover. A book that continues to be one of my favorites is Gloria Steinem’s book, “Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions”.
There are so many women out there now and who have led the way that we all owe a great thanks to them for who they were and what they did and it isn’t possible to list them all…Mother Jones, Madame Curie, Ida M. Tarbell, Fannie Lou Hamer, Billy Jean King, Sarah Breedlove Walker, Mary Cassatt, Margret Sanger, Rachel Carson, Sojourner Truth, Jeannette Rankin and the list could go on and on and I only wish I didn’t have to read about these women and many more in special ‘women’s books instead of wishing they were incorporated into regular history books.
In my own life, my personal hero as always continues to be my little sister for who she is. She may be my baby sister but I definitely look up to her-she may only be 5 foot 3 but I think she stands ten feet tall.
When I detour into dark thoughts about being alone in the battle, I’m gonna reread this thread and think of all the wonderful women mentioned and all the wonderful people here who posted their lists.
Thanks.
That’s a good idea. Like you some days I just think women have gained almost nothing…popular culture is still so institutionalized towards sexism-valuing women still only for their looks(and weight) that there are days when it’s almost overwhelmingly depressing.
And I really wish that more of the men here had participated in this diary.