Photo Credit: Ruth Fremson/The New York Times/ReduxIn the October 1, 2007 issue of New York Magazine, Jennifer Senior asked Benazir Bhutto several questions about gender-related issues she’d faced as a national leader. Here’s a sampling of the Q&A:
When you were prime minister, were you scrutinized, as Hillary so often is, for trivial things, like the fashion choices you made?
Yes. I once had a male opposition leader get up in the assembly and say, “Oh, these white veils she wears, and how she brings them all the way from France!” Which was simply not true. I used to buy them in Pakistan. And then I looked at his shoes. He had bought Bally shoes! I couldn’t believe the hypocrisy of it. He took it for granted that no one would scrutinize him!
Did you also have a hard time earning the trust of other women, at least at first?
I had a lot of support among ordinary women. But women in leadership positions could sometimes be competitive. Those who’d achieved a lot could be my sharpest critics.
Any advice for Bill on the campaign trail?
All I can tell him is that either way, you won’t win. Not if you disappear and not if you’re there campaigning. He’ll have to go by his instincts.
For the full interview, go here.
When you were prime minister, were you scrutinized, as Hillary so often is, for trivial things, like the fashion choices you made?
Yes. I once had a male opposition leader get up in the assembly and say, “Oh, these white veils she wears, and how she brings them all the way from France!” Which was simply not true. I used to buy them in Pakistan. And then I looked at his shoes. He had bought Bally shoes! I couldn’t believe the hypocrisy of it. He took it for granted that no one would scrutinize him!
Did you also have a hard time earning the trust of other women, at least at first?
I had a lot of support among ordinary women. But women in leadership positions could sometimes be competitive. Those who’d achieved a lot could be my sharpest critics.
Any advice for Bill on the campaign trail?
All I can tell him is that either way, you won’t win. Not if you disappear and not if you’re there campaigning. He’ll have to go by his instincts.
For the full interview, go here.
Whoa... whoever this blog belongs to I'm very sorry for... the link to the Youtube on Senator Obama is pathetic... I can imagine that you were the one of the people who distributed the Muslim email about him and tried to advance the idea that he was a drug dealer... it's ok to support Senator Clinton but you are way past the line of decency by displaying this video...
ReplyDeleteActually, I saw the YouTube clip of Obama first on the Huffington Post and thought it was intended to add a little humor to his campaign. Quite a few Obama supporters at HuffPost commented positively on the clip. Sorry you were offended.
ReplyDeleteVirginia, thank you for that post. The interview with Benazir is very poignant. I'm glad I had a chance to read it. I would have missed it if you hadn't linked to it here.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found the post meaningful, Ciccina. The interview moved me, also, when I first read the original in NY Magazine. Women like Hillary Clinton and Benazir Bhutto have few peers, and I'm glad they found each other and were able to share some of their experiences before Bhutto's tragic death.
ReplyDeletePlease stay in touch. I enjoyed hearing from you.