When Trump got elected back in November 2016, my heart broke.
I kept my kids home from school. I canceled all of my appointments. We sat around our kitchen table and we cried.
All I could hear in my head was Trump’s disgusting voice on that now-famous audio clip—boasting about groping women without permission, saying, “Grab her by the pussy.”
I could not believe THIS was the man who’d be holding the highest office in the world. It felt like a punch in the gut.
I am still miserable that Trump is President.
However, if there’s one silver lining to all of this… it’s that millions of people have been snapped awake this year, particularly women. Millions have marched and rallied. Millions have donated. Millions have voiced their outrage like never before.
Women have been speaking up and making a scene and I am LOVING it. From the Women’s March in Washington DC to the #MeToo movement on social media, this has been a BIG year for women’s voices.
There have been many losses this last year, but also some big wins. Please join me in celebrating some of our biggest victories of 2017. Such as…
– That moment when Congresswoman Maxine Waters interrupted a rambling male colleague and said, “Reclaiming my time! Reclaiming my time! Reclaiming my time!” and women everywhere rejoiced. And oh, how the angels sang!
– That moment when Taylor Swift ruled the courtroom, put creepy dudes in their place, and won a symbolic $1 from the man who grabbed her ass without permission.
– That moment when Ashley Graham clapped back at body shamers on Instagram and let them know, “I love the skin I’m in.”
– That moment when women started revealing the truth about Harvey Weinstein and we all watched his career burn to the ground. Not a minute too soon.
– That moment when millions gathered—in cities across the country—for the Women’s March. (I was so proud to be at the Washington DC march. A day I’ll never forget.)
– That moment when Beyoncé blessed us with twins. (We all needed something nice this year.)
– That moment when Susan Fowler published a blog post describing her horrendous experiences working at Uber and the sexism and harassment that pervades the company’s culture. The post went viral. Uber pledged to investigate and do better—proving that one courageous voice can start a massive ripple effect.
– That moment when Wonder Women shattered expectations and set huge box office records—proving that men aren’t the ONLY heroes that audiences want to see.
– That moment when Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s trainer released all of her workout secrets. (Who doesn’t want to be eternally strong and tough like RBG?)
– That moment when Emily’s List announced that more women than EVER are raising their hand and saying, “I want to run for office. It’s my turn.” (Over 20,000 women have contacted Emily’s List since the last Presidential election.)
2017 has been a tough year. One of the toughest that I can remember. It’s been violent. It’s been startling. It’s been heartbreaking on so many levels. But it gives me strength—and hope—to see so many women shattering glass ceilings, demanding to be heard, running wildly successful businesses, refusing to be bullied and shamed, making art, and making their presence known.
Silent? Timid? Hesitant? Polite? Not our generation.
I’m feeling so proud to be a woman. I can’t wait to see what we create—together—in 2018.
Creeps, oppressors, abusers, gropers, doubters, shamers, haters…
Watch the fuck out.
Your reign is over.
