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Well, all is not lost. As it was made aware in the last couple of months a record number of women have won seats in the house. A massive win for female candidates and it was a night of many firsts. According to the Congressional Research Service, the previous record was 85 as of 2018 we have 107 women and five non-voting members. These numbers are a win themselves. The other wins were of inclusivity. The first Native American, Muslim, Hispanic, openly gay/bisexual/lesbian, and first females were elected in many states.
My own state elected Democrat Kyrsten Sinema was elected to the Senate and is the first female senator of Arizona. With this in mind, there are plenty of women who can and likely will step forward to be a champion of women's rights. With all these firsts this year it seems like in a dark spot there is some form of light. That there are people that have voiced their opinion and that opinion is that finally there are a record number of women that are in the house and the Senate.
Me dancing media2.giphy.com
While this year has brought a few disappointing blows in both the current women's movement and the #me too movement these are just slight setbacks. These wins in the past month mean that while there have been setbacks this is a small battle we have won. In the fight for total equality for women and survivors, there will be failures, there will be lost, there will be people that step down, but there will always be smaller wins that will ultimately lead to the accomplishment of our goals as long as there are people left fighting. As I see it these wins prove there will be those people ready to stand up and fight or in other words to take up the sword. We don't know who the next RBG may be. They may not have endured as much adversity and been at the forefront of so many winning battles for women but this person will come. I am certain of it. It's only a matter of time just like so many other things in this life.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg has more than earned her position in the courtroom and for years has proven time and time again how unwavering and "notorious" she is. The following is just a bit of her story that will be in part told in the movie "On The Basis Of Sex." The movie is expected to be released everywhere next year but in select theater is already out.
Fighting tooth and nail to the top of her class in both Harvard Law (where she was one of nine women in a class of five hundred) and Colombia Law. Helping her husband through school and his battle with cancer while raising two children and attending her first year of school. Facing gender discrimination despite her very successful academic merits and kept pushing the agenda later became the first female professor at Columbia to earn tenure. Ginsburg directed the Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. She led the fight against gender discrimination and successfully argued six landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Ginsberg not only fought for the women affected but also for men. She was indeed hardcore. So hardcore in fact that she hid her pregnancy from her Rutgers colleagues.
Ginsburg accepted Jimmy Carter's appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1980. She served on the court for thirteen years until 1993, when Bill Clinton rightfully appointed her to the Supreme Court of the United States where she would become the second women in history to hold a seat. From there Ginsberg has never stopped championing women's issues and toppling large-scale issues. Dissenting on Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, a case where the female plaintiff, was paid significantly less than males with her same qualifications, sued under Title VII but was denied relief under a statute of limitations issue.
Ginsberg toppled tradition writing a formal version of her dissent to read from the bench. Later working with President Obama to pass the very first piece of legislation he signed, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, a copy of this document still hangs in her office. More impressively Ginsburg has not missed a day of oral arguments, not when she was undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, after surgery for colon cancer, or the day after her husband passed away in 2010. Her supreme dedication to her position, fight for equality, and unwavering integrity is what continues to inspire current feminists like myself.
I will not have to undergo much of what Ginsberg did because of her. I will still struggle but that struggle was made much less due to the good fight and battles won by Ginsberg. When she does step down, it will be hard to find someone of her caliber. Though I do not believe it will be impossible. "When they go low, we go high," and we will continue to go high and battle.
Eliza Cooper
1. What you wear does not matter
Girls spend hours upon hour picking out the perfect outfits and jewelry to wear to every round of rush. In reality, what you wear doesn't matter whatsoever. The sorority you join should be because of who you really are, not what you're wearing.
2. Be friendly to girls in sororities you think you don’t belong in
Even if you walk into a house that you can already tell won't be the fit for you, be friendly to all the girls you talk to. Every person you talk to loves their own chapter, so it's crucial to respect that. Despite that house feeling like it's the one for you or not, it's the one for someone else.
3. Try to not dwell on every conversation
If you walk out of a chapter you love, and the conversation didn't represent how much you loved it, don't worry. The rush process is extremely unnatural, which means conversations don't always flow the way they normally would. It's okay to be awkward.
4. It’s not in your control
This may sound cheesy but TRUST THE PROCESS! As much as girls want to be perfect for the sororities they love, the people rushing you know if they see you as a good fit or not. If you get dropped from a house you liked, there's a reason that happened. Everything will work out the way it should.
5. Bring the essentials
The days of rush can be up to 8 hours long, with few breaks. It's important to bring a bag along with you to hold Chapstick, gum, a granola bar, even some oil absorbing papers just in case.
6. Be true to yourself, but make sure to be enthusiastic
Even if you aren't the most bubbly person, showing a positive attitude about joining a chapter is the best way to make a good impression. There is no need to put on a fake persona of yourself since people will be able to read through it. Just make sure to be enthusiastic!
7. Be interested in what they are talking about
Especially in the earlier rounds of recruitment, you will have the same conversation 20+ times. As exhausting as this can be, push through it to make sure you leave a good impression on every girl you meet. Every girl you talk to is a part of Greek life (obviously), which is already a commonality you have with that person. You can definitely find things you have common with each person, whether it has to do with interests, majors, or life in general. Be open to learning about everyone and look for where you two can connect.
8. It's not going to be picture perfect
After multiple days of talking to a variety of girls, you will most likely run into some sort of bump in the road. Whether this is a clothing malfunction, tripping on the street, or desperately having to use the bathroom in the middle of a conversation, don't worry, this happens to everyone. These things are normal for every girl, so don't let them ruin your day.
9. It's just girl flirting (glirting)
The word "glirting" is the most accurate way to describe these conversations. You want to impress them just as much as they want to impress you. Embrace this new and strange way of talking to people.
10. Don’t forget to smile!
As much as this process might suck, the end results will be worth it. Joining a sorority can be the greatest thing that happens to a college student. Push through the long days to get the result that you want. Smiling is the best way to show that!
While I whip out my debit card and pay up for the "luxury" of tampons, check out these 10 items you ladies may not realize you're paying for that your male counterparts are not.
1. Mascara
GiphyMakeup, in general, is a cost that males don't traditionally incur, but mascara might be the most ridiculous extra cost women pay in the area of facial beauty. We literally feel the need to purchase paint that makes our eyelashes longer. I don't even really understand why this is necessary.
2. Hair ties
GiphyOur ponytails don't just magically stay in place on their own. Us girls have to buy special rubber bands just to keep ourselves from sweating to death or not being able to see. Awesome.
3. Spanx
GiphyBecause women are expected to be skinny twigs, we feel pressure to wear undergarments that suck us in so tight we can hardly move. And to add to the fun, they're not cheap
4. Tampons
GiphyAhh yes, the most magical time of the month. NOT! Women have to pay extra money bleed while in pain. Does that even sound logical?!
5. Jewelry
GiphyPart of wearing clothing as a female is accessorizing. We buy tiny sparkly things to wear in addition to clothes while men rarely have to consider extra costs like that.
6. Hair dye
GiphyHair dye is expensive, especially when you care about your hair and want it done right by a professional. Yes, a lot of us ladies do it for fun, but we also feel pressure to hide those gray hairs as we age. God forbid we appear old.
7. Nail polish
GiphyJust like hair dye, good nail polish is pricy. Sure, it lasts almost forever, but it's still an additional cost men don't even have to think about. If their nails aren't ragged, they're considered put together. Women on the other hand require steps beyond our nails appearing "normal."
8. Different types of socks
GiphyBecause there is a greater variety in the shoes women are socialized to wear, there is a wider variety of socks ladies must purchase. Men's shoes are usually only cut one or two ways, so they can get away with fewer pairs of socks overall.
9. Hair styling tools
GiphyFemales are supposed to keep their hair long, but we're also supposed to be able to keep it tamed. Enter expensive, damaging hair tools that look foreign to most men.
10. Purses
GiphyNo matter how hard I try and no matter how many bags I fall in love with, I will never understand why girls seem to have to carry a crap ton of extra stuff around in a purse while men get away with stuffing things in their unfairly-sized pockets. Purses are expensive while pants are required, and that just doesn't seem right.
Sure, a lot of women, myself included, enjoy buying many of these items. They add a little flair to our lives. But, it's kinda how much more money women have to spend to reach a social level of equality with men. Food for thought.
Touchstone Pictures // https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVYNNYyXdJE
1. Here's the deal: "Coyote Ugly" isn't the reality of all bars
GiphyIn the three years I have been a bartender, I have not once danced on the bar, poured water all over myself, or dressed remotely like any of the bartenders in "Coyote Ugly." I am so sorry to break it to you boys. This has to be one of the most UNREALISTIC expectations of a female bartender.
Will I spray you with water? 100% — because nobody needs to be climbing on my bartop asking for shots at two in the morning. I have done it many times before to men and I will do it 100 more times. Have I wanted to dance around and have the time of my life while I'm working? YES. Do I realistically have time for that when I have seven server drink orders and drunk college girls crying and screaming for their vodka cranberries? NOPE.
It sucks because while you're all out having the time of your lives, I'm helping you forget whatever night you're having and I don't even get to dance it out.
2. If you take more than two minutes to decide what to order, I will move on and most likely NOT come back to you
GiphyMost nights, I'm the server bartender. That means I not only have to worry about drunk people coming up to the bar to order, but I also have to get all of the drinks made for the server and her tables. THAT CAN BE SO STRESSFUL.
When people take a decade to order a simple vodka cran, I literally have NO TIME for you. Don't come up to the bar without knowing what you want to drink. Plus, getting mad at the bartender for moving on from you because you don't know what you're doing is childish and makes you look like a jerk.
3. If you ask for my number, the answer will always be "no"... unless you're the hot DD
GiphyI hate when drunk guys stumble over themselves to come up to the bar and ask for my number. Sadly, because I work almost every weekend, that might have to be my dating pool — but until I know for sure, only the hot DD's will get any chance of communication with me.
I am the only girl at my bar so I don't even feel special about it anymore. Usually, I see the same people at Target the next day and let's be real... once I've seen you as a drunken mess... I don't want to date you. However, it's so funny to match with regulars on tinder and then casually see them when they first get to the bar and they're sober. I live to make them feel awkward.
4. People look at you like you don't know what you're doing... ALL. THE. TIME.
GiphyCoworkers, drinkers, college kids, and grumpy old men alike, will all look at you like you're the neighborhood idiot when you're trying to make a cocktail. I hear it all the time: "You're only 24, what could you possibly know? You wouldn't know what scotch is the best, can you grab one of the men? Oh, I'm waiting for ____ he at least knows what he's doing." AWESOME. I feel so incredibly great about myself.
Don't make your female bartenders feel stupid — it's not fun at all because it's not fun for them. I have spent nights after work crying because I don't think I can do my job. It is the worst feeling in the world when you don't have the higher sales or you didn't pull as much in credit card tips as the boys, and trust me, they don't let me forget it.
5. We might wear fake wedding rings... you'll never know
GiphyThe amount of times I have had to do this is UNREAL. Here's the deal. DO NOT crawl, whistle, cat call, scream, chant, or attempt to hug me while I am bartending. We have bouncers for a reason and I am absolutely not afraid to call them downstairs to drag you out for giving me the creeps.
No woman should have to wear a fake ring in order to get men to leave her alone, but when you're being called at and grabbed... it's like Captain America's shield. It can make every creepy old man avoid you like you're a diseased cat and it's great. There are weekends where I'm like, "Hell yeah, come hit on me boys!" and then again, I have a few where I want nobody to come near you with a stick.
6. We have to stand our ground in our work environment
GiphyYes, I need a stool to reach the top shelf liquor, and maybe I need a refresher now and then, but I do know how to do my job. As a female in a male-dominated occupation, it's hard to not to get offended when the boys take sales from you or offer to make things you're perfectly capable of making yourself.
I have to stand up for myself more than most because I'm not just a female bartender — I AM THE ONLY FEMALE BARTENDER. I have to be able to stand up for myself around drunk men, keep an eye out for who may need to be kicked out, and so much more. I know that if I ever was in danger, the boys would have my back and nothing would happen to me.
7. As a female bartender, tips can be a big hit or a big miss
GiphyI mean, there are days where you make $50 but then you have times where it's an "I just paid my rent in a weekend" kind of thing and it is fabulous. I mean it's hard to not get attached to the feeling of coming home with money in your pocket. Even if it's a slow night, you can have the nights with the right customers and still come out with hella good tips. I mean, we make LESS THAN $5.00 hourly so please TIP YOUR SERVERS AND BARTENDERS.
8. This will always be a fun party trick for when I'm older
GiphyI can't wait until I'm 40 years old, hosting a party, and I pull out my bartending skills out of nowhere. I'll always know how to make a mean old fashioned, a cosmo, or a margarita on the fly when it's been a long day at work. I can toss a vodka bottle around and make my husband and I a drink while we wait for our kids to come home.
