Note: This article was written in collaboration with my friend and fellow Clinton supporter Maggie Zheng, a student at the University of Pennsylvania. You can read her companion piece to this article here.

On the evening of July 26, for the first time, a woman received a major party nomination for president of the United States. Hillary Clinton celebrated this victory with a live video, where a montage of all 44 male presidents was shattered, to reveal herself on the screen.

To two strong young women, both eager to see female representation in leadership, this isn’t just inspiring. It’s a moment in history.

Yet, many disagree. They ascribe her achievements as a senator, a Secretary of State, and now a presidential nominee to her gender. They claim that it is sexist to treat her different than any other candidate because a female presidential nomination is not a “first” in any way, nor is it special.

But, it is a first, and it most certainly is special. Considering that in the United States, one of the most powerful nations in the world, women hold less than 20 percent of Congressional seats. Considering that in the United States, one of the most tolerant nations in the world, female reproductive health is repeatedly denied for those who desperately need it, while men can receive over-the-counter male enhancement pills with ease. Considering that in the United States, one of the freest nations in the world, women are still shackled by the pain and trauma that stems from domestic violence and sexual assault, when the world shamefully and ignorantly looks away. Hillary Clinton’s nomination doesn’t just symbolize a giant step in the direction towards equality. She is a beacon of hope for those who are forced to constrict themselves to gender norms and predispositions. She is a trailblazer for accomplished women who are confined by institutional sexism and societal expectations. For the first time in years, we no longer feel invisible, that we have finally earned the representation we deserve.

So, yeah, I think a female presidential nomination is a pretty big deal.

How can we simply ignore her gender when it has affected the way the public thinks of her? When we say that she is “inauthentic and insincere” or that “she just looks phony,” it is only that Hillary’s strong, assertive demeanor diverges from the (false) stereotype that all women are demure, docile, and submissive. The public perceives her as cold and artificial because we expect her to be more gentle and motherly in nature when Clinton is really exuding the same leadership qualities that are regularly glorified among male Commanders-in-Chief.

When Clinton was a senator from New York, her favorability rating was 58 percent. When she was Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, she had a favorability rating of 66 percent and was consistently voted the most admired woman in the world. Today, however, her favorability rating has dropped to around 38 percent, but why? Her policies or values haven’t changed much, if at all. It’s just that we’re used to seeing successful female senators and Secretaries of State. When a woman walks into predominantly male territory, we suddenly assault her with double standards, setting unnecessarily higher expectations for her than for men in the same field.

You see, politics, a male-dominated field, can often be likened to a typical high school dress code -- stringent on females, lax on males. In the words of former Vermont governor Madeleine May Kunin, “we expect a great deal from a female candidate for president. It’s called perfection. The slightest stumble is magnified tenfold.” Take, for example, Clinton’s email scandal. Now, I’m not saying that Clinton wasn’t careless for placing classified emails on a private server -- we shouldn’t excuse her for that mistake. But, Trump had knowingly scammed thousands of poor, unassuming students through Trump University and Trump Institute. He declared more Chapter 11 bankruptcies than any other major American company. He has left hundreds of small businessmen still waiting to be paid through his (intentionally?) flawed methods of invoicing and paying bills. And, he had an illicit affair with Marla Maples, openly cheating on his first wife Ivana.

Yet, Trump’s dirty scams and scandals are often overlooked, and Hillary is largely considered the careless, crooked candidate. Because, at the end of the day, boys will be boys, while girls are expected to exude perfection and are chided when they fall short.

So, yes, when we celebrate Hillary’s legacy as a First Lady, senator, Secretary of State, and now presidential nominee, we must celebrate her gender as well, for it has colored many of her experiences in politics. We can’t sweep Hillary’s femininity under the rug if we want to observe her lengthy relationship with the public. To understand Hillary Clinton as a candidate, we first have to understand Hillary Clinton as a woman.

Call me sentimental. Call me hypersensitive. But, a woman has just won the presidential nomination of one of two major parties, after overcoming countless double standards under the political spotlight. Of course, I’m excited. As a woman seeking to pursue a STEM career, I am inspired by Hillary to calmly and bravely jump over every hurdle that hinders me from my success and happiness. Hillary fills me with the hope that I, too, can shatter glass ceilings someday.

Whether you want to Make America Great Again or you still feel the Bern, Hillary should be applauded for surmounting such formidable gender barriers throughout her career. You don’t have to like her, you don’t have to like her policies. But, as Clinton (and apparently Lil Wayne?) says herself, “when there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit.”