After winning the Democratic California primary, Hillary Clinton is all but certain to be the party's presidential nominee for the 2016 elections. The first woman to take that step, she celebrated at a Brooklyn rally, thanking supporters, saying, "there are still ceilings to break for women, men, for all of us, but don't let anyone tell you that great things can't happen in America."
This is not the first time during her campaign that Clinton has made attributions to gender, and it is also not the first time that women have suggested that they are less than enthusiastic about having a female president. Most women participating in a March survey stated that they didn't take gender into account when considering their vote.
Clinton's Tuesday statement, however, received a cold-shoulder from some prominent feminists.
"We are asked to celebrate the breaking of glass ceilings this week, as the possibility of a female president is hailed as a long-overdue feminist triumph," said author Liza Featherstone on Tuesday. "But," she asked, "just what kind of a feminist is Hillary Clinton?"
Author, activist, and renowned progressive Naomi Klein responded to Clinton's announcement, "Not under the plutocracy u represent. As a feminist, I should feel a thrill right now. I grieve that I don't."
Bull. Not under the plutocracy u represent. As a feminist, I should feel a thrill right now. I grieve that I don't. https://t.co/uz0y08mbbi
— Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) 8 июня 2016 г.
This degree of disapproval is caused, according to some, by Clinton's "hawkish" foreign policy and the possibility of expanded war, should she become president.
"Can't wait until Hillary Clinton invades a country so white feminists can say she was the first female head of state to do that!" This according to a tweet from an account calling itself "feminism & burritos."
Can't wait until Hillary Clinton invades a country so white feminists can say she was the first female head of state to do that!!!!
— feminism & burritos (@nashwakay) 8 июня 2016 г.
Clinton's power-elite status is viewed by many on the left as a detriment, and many feminists attribute that same lofty status as the only thing that made Clinton's ascension possible.
The idea of voting based only on gender is regarded by some as ignorant at best, evidenced by Atlanta-based African-American attorney Anoa Changa, speaking to The Guardian: "I'm not only voting for my gender, I'm voting for other issues. There are a lot of issues that affect low-income women, immigrant women and women of color that her brand of doing things is not going to address."
