BUT, my direct supervisor was far LESS a “Michelle-fan” than the Judges. One reason was the way I dressed. (Keep in mind… I was the youngest worker ever hired by the City for my position.. younger by at least 15 years than anyone else in my department.) She once called me in to discuss the “Ally McBeal – style” suits I wore in the Courtroom.

However, there was another woman in my department who had the opposite situation. She blatantly dressed like a man. In fact, people would have entire conversations with her and never know if she was a man or woman. Of course, my boss would never have approached this woman about her “dress”. So, my response to my boss was this, “As long as my co-worker is free to express her feigned masculinity, I will continue to freely express my authentic femininity.”

Now, we have the pleasure of watching Gov. Sarah Palin run for Vice President. I love that she has stayed true to her feminine “style”… and am curious about the amount of media dedicated to debating this. Should she have cut her hair or changed her glasses? What about the outfits she is wearing? Do they “speak” power? Seriously, America… I love to see a woman in power flaunt her authentic femininity.

I have to wonder, though. Why is there this push for women to downplay their beauty or feminine traits in order to be taken seriously? If only more companies (and more countries?) realized that it is the characteristically feminine qualities we possess that make us PHENOMENAL LEADERS.

So, why are women TODAY still questioned about remaining authentically female when vying for positions of power? I don’t know… but I REFUSE to believe that to be a great leader, I have to be “more male”. I applaud women who are climbing the corporate, or government, or self-employment ladder in their fancy Jimmy Choos. To US….

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