Today, I will be discussing the feminist contribution of two women. The first woman lost her first three elections for political positions before becoming the first female elected official in her position. The second has won more award nominations than any other actor in history.
Of course, I’m talking about the Iron Ladies.
Given the recent film (which I haven’t seen yet so don’t spoil it!), I thought it might be interesting to look at both women and their contributions to feminism. Regardless of political ideologies or movie preferences, both of these women have, in their own ways, shown that women can be just as, if not more, successful than men. I’m not saying all women have to be better than men, but Thatcher and Streep are pretty badass. But, let’s get into a little more detail.
I’ll use this post to give you some (possibly) different information you might not think of when you picture Margaret Thatcher. We all know she is a tough cookie but I’ll try to focus more on her early life and how she got into politics. If you’d like to discuss her later years in politics or her life after being Prime Minister, comment and I’ll get back to you!
One of the things about Margaret Thatcher I think gets overlooked is that at age 25, she went back to school to pursue a completely different career. She went from a chemist to a lawyer (and then to the first female British prime minister). Although she had her husband’s financial support, I still think that is a huge deal. Now, at 25, we’re lucky if we’re done with college and into our first “real” job, much less changing to a significantly different career. Oh yeah, and the year she was admitted to the bar, she had twins. TWINS! Maybe it’s my fear of children coming into play here but doesn’t that sound like a lot for one year?
The other fascinating thing about Thatcher is, as I said, that she lost her first three elections. Many politicians simply “quit” politics after a big loss. Thatcher encountered three before she was elected to any position. Given the time period and the amount of inherent sexism in politics, I would have a hard time not giving up. She was finally elected as a Member of Parliament in 1959, nine years after her first attempt.
Throughout her political life, Thatcher worked her way up the ladder. But, it wasn’t an easy climb by ANY means and, seemingly, she didn’t make it any easier for herself. She frequently voted against her party and was often given nicknames like Margaret Thatcher, Milk Snatcher (which was given to her when she supported cutting free milk from school lunches). But, she stood by her beliefs. Even when she was ousted from her position as Prime Minister, she refused to keep quiet about it. She wrote two books where she voices her side of the story when she left Downing Street (among other things). But, despite her embarrassing exit from politics, she still remains very active. Each one of these feats is impressive on its own but when you consider the fact that Thatcher never had it easy, her life seems pretty remarkable. And I get irritated if they mess up my order at Taco Bell…but oh, do I still go back again and again.
Anyways, let’s look at our other favorite M-name in this post (and I’m not talking about myself). I feel like with this audience, I can just say Meryl and you know what I’m talking about. But, since we’re supposed to be having a discussion, I suppose I’ll try to put it into words….
Ok…I’m having a hard time with this. I feel like focusing on her almost 30 Golden Globe nominations (8 wins), 17 Academy noms (2 wins), and AFI LIFETIME Achievement Award (while she’s still ALIVE) won’t do her justice. I also don’t think she would want me to focus on that if we were having a f2f conversation. But, still! I feel like I’ve done nothing with my life.
I think a good example of who Meryl is in real life is during her Letterman interview when she discusses an audition she had for a role in King Kong. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuF7KUplCDA
How sassy and courageous is that?? (If you are trying to get away without watching, you’re missing out.) Even if you know his language, standing up for yourself in front of a well-regarded male director is pretty badass.
Not only does she continuously exhibit the classiest form of sass I have ever encountered, but she backs it up. She studied as an exchange student at Dartmouth before it was co-ed before getting a masters from Yale. Her performances in Sophie’s Choice and Devil Wears Prada show her talent for drama and humor, as well as her range.
But, she’s more than an actor. She’s a great role model. During her acting career, she raised four kids, four! You can make a career out of one kid! I don’t mean that women can’t have careers and kids at the same time. Streep clearly indicates the opposite. I’m also not saying that to be a good role model, you have to have children. But, damn. Four?!?
In addition to her many accomplishments, Meryl is also the spokesperson for the National Women’s History Museum. As the spokesperson, she not only contributes financial assistance, but she also plans events for the museum. I checked the website out and it actually has some great information on it.
To sum things up, I think we can learn a lot from both of these women, even if we don’t support Thatcher’s politics or Streep’s acting (how could you not like Prada?). Thatcher and Streep are both very different women, but that’s the great thing. Both of them prove not only is there one prototypical career woman or one set of life choices women must take to reach success. But, enough of my soapbox. I want to know what you think. Feel free to provide any other background info or, if you want, we can talk about the movie. I’ll just have to run out and watch it asap!
ShoutOut! James Madison University 
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