Conquering the World...While Wearing Stilettos

GO TO WWW.WHILEWEARINGSTILETTOS.COM

As I’m getting in to my comfortable pajamas, and settled in to watch a show I really enjoy (“The Good Wife”) I find myself asking…why do I like this show so much?

I’ve concluded that I enjoy it for three main reasons: 1) It deals with politics…and I live and breathe for politics.  2.) It’s mostly based on characters at a law firm, and I used to really really want to be a lawyer when I was a little girl (I LOVED “The Practice”…and no, not JUST for Dylan McDermott…even though that was a big part, haha).  3.) It shows a successful woman in one heck of a predicament, and follows her actions and reactions to events that happen to women everywhere.

The main character, Alicia, is a successful lawyer/mom/wife of a politician.  Unfortunately, her husband decided to have an affair with a prostitute.  Alicia is now struggling with her marriage, the media, her friends, children, family and…very important to her: her new career at the law firm.  Her husband is running for election to get his job back that he lost after he had the affair, and has ALOT of power and connections in the city…power and connections that Alicia has realized she needs for her career to continue flourishing.  Thus, why she is unhappily staying married to the cheating husband.

However, as I keep watching, I keep thinking to myself how SMART this character is, and I wish she would remove her husband from her career picture, and realize that she can still work to be successful without her husband.  As women, we should never feel so bound to a person, whether it’s a husband/friend/family member/mentor that we feel we can’t continue to grow in our career without them.  She’s already been strong enough to withstand all the media harassment and public embarrassment, that I hope she can find the strength from within herself, from friends/family, and the courage to continue on without her husband…especially since he lied, cheated, and is now making her unhappy.

Yes its TV, and it’s not real, but often TV shows help us put ourselves in to hypothetical situations in order to see how we might analyze situations.  Plus, Alicia’s character definitely has some real life women out there that can probably relate. (Hillary Clinton, Silda Wall, Jenny Sanford).

I really hope the show continues to depict Alicia as a strong, career-oriented women and mom, while also showing that women don’t have to live unhappily with someone who betrayed you, just because they may help your career.  I hope they portray her predicament as an opportunity to grow personally, build a career on her own two stiletto-wearing-feet, and be successful without depending on the dishonest man.  Plus, there’s a cute law partner in the office next door that’s waiting for her to be single ;)

I love smiles.  I love when people a) smile and b) notice other people’s smiles.  I’m a “teeth” person I like to say…meaning when I meet people for the first time, I notice their smile…thus leading to their teeth.  I’ve learned that not only maintaining a healthy smile is good for your physical health…but it is also amazing for how people perceive you.  This becomes important for all of us when interviewing for a new job, making new friends, going out on a date…etc.

Why am I talking about smiling?  

Answer: Moving from my comfy midwest state of Ohio, to the hustling-bustling metro center of Washington, DC, I noticed that people appear to smile less-often here than in Ohio. Is it because DCists are sardine-packed into subways cars and sidewalks all-day long?  Is there something in the air that makes smiling physically painful?  I don’t know the answer, but I do know that smiling is contagious…and we should go on a mission to spread it :)

Why?

Because, smiling actually releases serotonin, endorphins, and natural pain killers in your body leading to “a happy feeling” which can boost your immune system, alleviate stress, give you a positive attitude, and lower your blood pressure.  Also, the muscles you use in your face to smile, actually make you look younger (wOOt wOOt for the ladies …and men….that are finding that first gray hair or first sign of crow’s feet by our eyes!)

Smiling also makes you look confident, content, and friendly…qualities that employers especially like to see.   You never know when you’re going to run into someone on the street, in a subway, or in an elevator…and smiling just may help you make that first hello, snag that interview, or make a new friend.  There is a lot of interesting research out there about the physical and mental health benefits of smiling.

So smile for your own personal well-being…and smile to spread the bug.  If you smile at someone, it’s almost like a yawn, it’s really hard to not smile back.  

Awesome Woman of the Week: Marisol Valles Garcia

One of my friends Corey shared this article with me this morning, and I was blown away at the courage and bravery this young lady is showing.  Take a good read for yourself.  It inspired me to do an “Awesome Woman of the Week” post.

Marisol Valles Garcia is only 20 years old!!!!  And she’s got the courage to stand up to some of the most dangerous people along the Mexican border.  All of us women can look up to a girl like her, someone who risk her life for the betterment of the world.

Even more intriguing is her nonviolent approach to the way she hopes to combat the drug violence.  The article says she will have body guards, but refuses to carry a weapon…demonstrating a nonviolent persona.

Wow.  She is amazingly brave, and I look forward to following this story.  Being the FIRST female to take on this responsibility in her area, I have faith in her abilities…because like the end of the article says, “let’s see what a woman can do!”

I hope she stays safe, and I hope the municipality and her body guards protect her well, because it takes an above-and-beyond woman to step up to this challenge!  You go girl!

This past spring, Congress passed and President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), amended by the Health Care & Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872). Whether you like President Obama/Congress or not, and whether you like Democrats or not…this year marked an amazing hurdle in healthcare since the passage of Medicare, especially for women!  Everyone has their views and opinions on whether the healthcare reform bill is a good piece of legislation or not.  But I’d like to point out the top 10 major and revolutionary aspects of the bill that will end decades of gender discrimination by insurance companies, and the provisions that will benefit women across the country, and their access to healthcare:

1.)  Elimination of Gender Discrimination: In the past, insurance companies could charge women more money, or reject them all together on the grounds of being female or on the grounds of “pre-existing conditions”.  These so-called pre-existing conditions they would use to reject women included: domestic abuse, c-sections, breast cancer and pregnancy.  They will no longer be able to reject women for these!

2.) Breast Feeding: A new provision to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) will require employers (of 50+ employees) to give breaks to mothers to breastfeed their infants. It also requires that employers provide a private location, other than a restroom.

3.) Preventative Care for Women:  Insurance group health plans must provide preventive health care and screenings without cost-sharing (meaning no co-payments, deductibles or co-insurance). Preventative services that apply to women include:

-Mammograms for women starting at age 40

-Cervical cancer screening

-Counseling for women with increased risk of breast cancer

-Routine screening for osteoporosis in women age 65 and older.

4.) Direct Access to a Gyno:  Group insurance plans will no longer force you to get a referral just to see a new gyno.  Speaking from someone who’s had to go through the painful/paperwork-filled referral process…this is amazing!

5.) Establishment of Women’s Offices:  Within the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, specific offices have been created to solely address the health needs of women!

6.) State Funds for Pregnant Teens:  The bill has allocated funds/grants to statesto help curtail teen pregnancy and help young teen mothers who become pregnant.

7.) New Insurance Exchanges for Women & Tax Credits:  New exchanges will give women who do not currently have health insurance (stay at home moms, single mothers, poor women, unemployed women) access to health insurance…including maternity benefits! Tax credits will be provided for women who cannot afford health insurance.  Up to 7 million uninsured women nationwide will benefit from these new health insurance exchanges and tax-credits.

8.) Out of Pocket Spending Limits:  Limits will be places on out of pocket costs, which make many women underinsured because of the high costs of female healthcare.

9.) Young Women Can Utilize Parent’s Insurance: Insurers must allow young adults up to age 26 to remain on their parent’s health insurance. Young women are more likely to be uninsured than women in any other age group, so this is HUGE

10.) Equal Pay for Midwives. Certified midwives will now receive the same Medicare reimbursement and equal pay as physicians who do the same work. 

This is a major, MAJOR leap for women all over the United States, and many women don’t even know about all of these provisions.  Some provisions have already started, while others will be slowly worked into our current health system throughout the next few years.  

However, still at issue is whether contraceptives will be included in the definition of “preventive care”. The decision will hopefully be made within the year. Currently, the United States has the highest rates for unintended and teen pregnancies in the industrialized world. Contact your local Planned Parenthood or similar organization if you’d like to get involved in the advocacy work to help lower the number of teen and unintended pregnancies!