INSPIRED BY KIM CAMPBELL

I turned on the radio, and heard a woman speaking with an interviewer on CBC radio yesterday. It didn't take me long to figure out who it was, because we have only ever had one female prime minister in North America, so it wasn't much of a logistical challenge. Kim Campbell was talking on the show Out in the Open.

Honestly, I was reminded that Kim Campbell's short run in leadership may have had an influence on me in ways I am just beginning to understand.  I think it was a short lived belief of its normalcy, but it was shattered when she lost the election to Cretien in 1994. I realize now that I was disappointed, but that I had no idea what sexism was involved in the aftermath. I understand a little better now what it means to be scapegoated for your gender. I understand her thoughts on feeling isolated. It especially resonates that when you are different, you give people a feeling of discomfort from what they are used to, and that feeling translates to dislike and exclusion, based not on any personal failing, but simply because you don't look like what they are used to.

Conscious bias still exists, but is less and less tolerated. Unconscious bias is the sexism that still exists today. Kim's wikipedia bibliography links to this interesting article.

I remember people making a big deal about her showing her shoulders in her lawyer garb, and I was probably in agreement with them. Now, a little smarter and openminded, I laughed at her response to the comparisons made to Madonna. She wore "a strapless gown" compared to Madonna's "gownless strap"! I didn't think to ask the context of the photo, which was an artistic photo for a book on unconventional women (the rebel girls of today!) Seriously though, her thoughts on dress in positions of authority are in line with mine. In a venue where the majority of politicians with power are men in suits,  there is a power differential that is accentuated when women are not dressed similarly. It is still uncomfortable that some feel their feminine power is in the dress, but in my peer group and position of authority, I abide by the same idea. Distraction is not helpful in the power struggle women still lose at. Maybe some day, with power redistributed, could the fashions change.

What I find interesting is what happened in the aftermath of losing the election. She wrote an autobiography called Time and Chance. She worked internationally in politics and teaching. She and her husband launched a musical called Noah's Ark. She has a collection of honorary degrees from across North America.