Bri Kirkham is a senior telecommunications and journalism news major and writes "Miss Brihavin'" for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Bri at bmkirkham@bsu.edu.
Republican candidate Carly Fiorina ended her campaign last week after a 7th place finish in New Hampshire.
This wasn’t particularly surprising, as she never seemed to gain a strong influx of supporters. While she did attract praise during debates for her poignant remarks, especially the ones aimed at Donald Trump, she didn't seem to have any memorable or lasting arguments.
When she wasn’t psychoanalyzing Hillary and Bill Clinton’s marriage, she was using her campaign as a platform to share her beliefs (read: lie) about Planned Parenthood. She christened herself as the most “outspoken advocate for life and against Planned Parenthood.”
I don’t think she understands that those two things aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.
None of her shenanigans would continue to be interesting or noteworthy at this point if it weren’t for her tactful announcement of her campaign suspension. She used this opportunity to share her definition of feminism, which, to my knowledge, she has never discussed before.
“Do not listen to anyone who says you have to vote a certain way or for a certain candidate because you're a woman. That is not feminism,” Fiorina said.
This was probably a dig at Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright, who each made controversial remarks criticizing millennial women who don’t support Hillary Clinton. While a fair criticism, it doesn’t seem to align with Fiorina’s previously-stated sentiments on women's right to choose.
I’ve always assumed that Republican politicians are trained not to say the “C” word, especially when discussing women. Treating “choice” and “choose” as taboos makes it all the easier to not acknowledge women’s rights.
Which is why I was so surprised Fiorina centered her definition of feminism around choice rhetoric.
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“A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses and uses all her God-given gifts. And always remember that a leader is not born, but made. Choose leadership,” she said.
I wonder if the irony of this statement has dawned on her yet. Fiorina has spent her campaign denouncing women’s right to choose, yet she is using her campaign suspension as a platform to promote women’s choice.
I’m sure she would argue that when it comes to women’s reproductive healthcare, choice has nothing to do with it. Yet, I have to wonder if there’s a small part of her that recognizes the parallels between her beliefs concerning feminism and the power of choice rhetoric.
Fiorina isn’t leaving too many disappointed supporters behind with her campaign, but she is leaving some of us with a new-found curiosity for her choice-centered feminism.
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