Sept. 22 was American Business Women’s Day, a day that is to say the least, one of those national days you see illustrated on the google homepage which alerts you to the fact that you have never heard of this day in your life. In a slight homage to this not very well known day, I thought it would be meaningful if the Lion’s Tale collected some quotes from the CESJDS community on powerful female figures that inspire them.

I designated this assignment to one of my reporters, and later that night, I sat hunched over my computer awaiting the facebook message that would confirm how the interviews had gone.

A “ding” signaled the appearance of the chat box, and instead of finding myself skimming over a successful story, I found myself reading the exact opposite. A good number of those asked had little to nothing to say about an inspirational female figure (although there were quite a few “ums” mentioned). So my idea was scratched, and needless to say, I was disappointed.

Maybe those interviewed were having an off day, where a female role model could not pop into their mind. But at the same time, it is interesting to entertain the thought of looking at such an experience as meaning something more. Personally, I understood the failed interviews to be an example of how the JDS community, and the larger American society, perceives women.

The media tells us to look up to women for many things. All over magazines and television, we are told to be envious of how Kim Kardashian lost that baby weight so quickly, how Sofia Vergara has a 23 year old son but does not look a day over 25 and how Cara Delevingne manages to keep those eyebrows on point. If you have not yet caught on to my drift, my point is that I do not believe that the media offers a very wide variety of possibilities when it comes to how to view women as inspiring.

Not just the media, but the society in which we live in, limits the capacity in which one can look at a strong female leader and be inspired. When a woman takes charge, she is bossy. When a woman is impassioned, she is on her period.

I am not saying that our society devalues all females who attempt to be leaders. Take Hillary Clinton for example, who is a past Secretary of State, and a current Presidential candidate. Obviously society has not stifled her prestige career-wise; however, let us not forget that it is this same epitome of female leadership who has been and continues to be cruelly criticized for her wardrobe choices and overall appearance. Starting in 2012, Clinton received a slew of critiques on her clothing and lack of makeup, most prominently recounted by media outlets such as CNN, USA Today and Elle. Yes, she can be viewed as having succeeded as a politician, but according societal standards, in her femininity she has failed. Once she does not meet all the ticks on a socially constructed list for successful women, it does not matter her success as a politician; in some regard she has disappointed.

The question I want to ask is why does success for women have to be equal to aesthetic perfection? Perfection is impossible to achieve, so why are women expected to live and look a certain way in order to qualify for being seen as an inspiring and powerful female figure? Not only does this create unachievable expectations for women, but it means that it is virtually impossible for women to be seen as an inspiration for more than their exterior.

So maybe I am not actually that surprised that the JDS community had such a difficult time coming up with female role models. Based on how we have been taught to think of powerful and inspiring females in our society, identifying one truly poses a challenge. While it may pose a challenge, it is not one that it is impossible to overcome. We are all independent thinkers, and we all have the ability to break down the walls that such societal notions have built up for us; It can be as small as a shift in thought, such as recognizing Angelina Jolie’s numerous humanitarian awards as well as her killer cheekbones, that will serve to create the cracks, and bring such a prehistoric societal notion crashing down.