Not only is this an open letter to the women who will run the world one day, it's also a first-hand account of what it was like to be a part of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and how future candidates (and all of us) can learn from the way a woman candidate was treated and how upcoming elections will be different.
Jennifer Palmieri has worked on a number of campaigns and for several presidential administrations. She was the Director of Communications for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and the White House Communications Director for President Barack Obama. She offers words of advice to future candidates based on her experiences with campaigns. She encourages young women to speak up, nod less and cry more, keep their head and their heart during a storm because both are needed to steer the ship to safety, and embrace battle scars. By showing others what you've been through, it shows what you can survive.
I agree with Palmieri that women are scrutinized in a way that men are not for their ambitions, choice of clothes, their voice, and whether or not they are "likable." It's outrageous to me that a woman would be judged harshly by the sound of her voice or because "there's something about her I just don't like," a statement that was repeated during Hillary Clinton's campaign. What does that have to do with performing a job? Statistically, women work hard and do a good job.
If a woman moving forward draws fire, she will weather the storm. Learning from and adapting political communication based on how female candidates have been treated in the past will make future candidates stronger. The world is changing and it's only a matter of time before a woman is elected President of the United States. I look forward to that day.