We've Made Progress, but We Still Have a Long Way to Go

"the pedestal upon which women have been placed has all too often, among closer inspection, been revealed as a cage " Ruth Bader Ginsburg

A few years ago, my daughters followed a YouTube beauty blogger. He was an amazing artist and make-up artist, glamor make-up … and he did it on himself. Anyway, when I heard them talking about him, I asked who he was. "He's this AMAZING make-up artist on YouTube, he does the most amazing make-up. And he's a model!" So, I looked him up, and he was beautiful. He's cute without make-up, but he could sell basically any product to anyone because of how good he is at applying it. What I found the most impressive, however, the most noteworthy about the whole exchange is how it indicated that we are evolving. If, as a kid, I were telling my parents about a probably gay, possibly trans male who does mind blowing glamor make-up on himself, I would have felt the need to say all of that. I wouldn't have been satisfied saying he's this amazing make-up artist. Being whoever you are, walking and living your own truth, it's becoming more widely accepted. I mean, this guy does wicked good, mind blowing glamor make-up with details and precision at an Olympic level, and a genuine smile. He loves what he does, and I love my daughters for loving him because he was amazing. He was not, to them, representative of the trans community or the LGBTQ community. He was a representative of amazing glamorous art. Period. For kids raised by a mom who grew up being told not to throw like a girl, and a Dad who is just recognizing that such language, even among friends, is damaging, my girls were doing alright.

My boys were too. Later that week, while watching Wreck it Ralph, Sullivan started running around Skylar in the living room and said, "Mommy, I'm 'nelope!"

He didn't pick a male character because he just wanted to be the winner! He didn’t care.

He doesn't care that Penelope was a girl. My girls didn’t care that their beauty guru was a guy. Take that as some hope. They are our future. We are making progress in a world where people can be their truth.

During a time when women are enjoying fewer rights than we have in recent decades, it is important to see the progress that has not been taken away, to view the ability to live one's truth as forward motion.

We have a long way to go and a lot of work left to do, but we have made progress. We must keep moving forward.