Woman Behind the Blog

Having been a fan of Wasserstein for quite some time, I needed little reinforcement of my admiration for her. However, I came across this quote written about her shortly after her death. She was and remains a true role model for all women.

"She was known for being a popular, funny playwright, but she was also a woman and a writer of deep conviction and political activism," Mr. Bishop said. "In Wendy's plays women saw themselves portrayed in a way they hadn't been onstage before — wittily, intelligently and seriously at the same time... She was a real pioneer."

The Female Influence on Power

"Hillary was so busy trying to prove she could be one of the boys — getting on the Armed Services Committee, voting to let W. go to war in Iraq, strong-arming supporters and donors, and trying to out-macho Obama — that she only belatedly realized that many Democratic and independent voters, especially women, were eager to move from hard-power locker-room tactics to a soft-power sewing circle approach."

I am aware that this strays a little from the article that was posted earlier, but I felt it was nonetheless worth sharing. Without bringing my own political beliefs into this, I just wanted to comment on the irony of the above statement. Hillary is the first woman to run for president, and yet her lack of sensitivity and femininity is what has hurt her campaign the most. Though Barack Obama is male, it seems as though he has captured that softer, more female approach and found a way to use it in his fight for candidacy. This got me thinking. In a typical workplace/office setting, sensitivity expressed by a woman and the exposure of "feminine behavior" in high level positions is viewed poorly (in most cases). These women are perceived as being "weak" and many times incapable of moving farther up the professional ladder. I find irony in the fact that as a nation, the public is more forgiving receptive of a man who exhibits the same qualities, and while he's campaigning for the most powerful position our country has to offer! What are your thoughts? Where do we find a balance, and when is it more advantageous?

Click here for the rest of the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/opinion/24dowd.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=quien%20es%20less%20macho&st=nyt

New York Times

Hey everybody, here are some articles I found on the New York Times website:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/fashion/17celeb.html?scp=2&sq=girls+will+be+girls&st=nyt

It's all about the difference in tabloid attention that male and female celebrities attract.

"Ms. Roy said that troubled male stars like Robert Downey Jr. are encouraged to move past problems to a second act in their careers, while the personal battles of women like Lindsay Lohan or the late Anna Nicole Smith are often played for maximum entertainment value.

“With men, there’s an emphasis on, ‘he had this issue, but he’s getting over it,’ ” Ms. Roy said. “But with women, it’s like they keep at it, keep at it. It’s almost like taking the wings off of a fly.”"

This one is really great, "Girls Will Be Girls"

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/magazine/10wwln-lede-t.html?scp=1&sq=girls+will+be+girls&st=nyt

I think it really speaks to what "Uncommon Women and Others" is about.... what does it mean to be a girl? And it also brings the issue into the 21st century.... how is this different from what it means to be a boy?

Check 'em out, they're not that long.

Lets discuss!
Alice

Welcome to Uncommon  Women!

This Blog is a Forum for Current Events dealing with the issues discussed in Wendy Wasserstein's play Uncommon Women and Others....as well as anything else we want.

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