Ten Women Who Make The World Better

By JOTUS
February 23, 2010

In the 1988 movie Working Girl, protagonist Tess McGill is the frustrated secretary trying to make it in the corporate jungle of New York City.  Her eventual love interest and business partner Jack Trainer says to her at a business networking event "You're the first woman I've seen at one of these damn things that dresses like a woman." McGill’s character was the perfect example of a woman achieving the respect and esteem of her male peers while maintaining her distinct womanliness.  Her role flies in the face of the neo-radical feminist ideology that women can’t have an impact without completely overthrowing or discarding traditional gender roles. So in the spirit of Working Girl, I’ve compiled a list of ten of the most successful women who embody womanhood in its original form.

10. Star Parker.  Once a single welfare mother from Los Angeles who admits to four abortions, she’s now a pro-life advocate and a social policy consultant who speaks openly about her personal transformation from welfare mom to conservative Christian crusader. Now the founder and president of the Coalition for Urban Renewal and Education, Star Parker brings a renewed vigor to the conversation on traditional values, limited government, and personal responsibility and appears regularly on many news programs including CNN and Fox News.

9.  Abigail Adams.  The original feminist who was fully capable of making a rhetorical appeal without mentioning her vagina, she urged in one of her many supportive and consultative letters to her husband and revolutionary John, “I long to hear that you have declared independency.  And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.”

8.  Condoleezza Rice.  A fourth generation classically trained pianist from Birmingham, Alabama and the first black female Secretary of State, this University of Denver Ph.D. speaks fluent Russian, French, German and Spanish.  She was also President George W. Bush’s National Security Advisor in his first term.  Known for her polished sartorial flair and refined public speaking skills, Dr. Rice epitomizes the American dream.

7.  Pam Tebow.  The original homeschooling mom, Pam Tebow taught all five of her children from kindergarten through high school, finally retiring when her youngest son Tim left for the University of Florida (her alma mater) on a football scholarship. More recently, Mrs. Tebow courageously appeared in commercial for Focus on the Family that aired during this year’s Super Bowl.  In the ad she explains her difficult choice to proceed with the birth of Tim, despite a doctor’s suggestion that she abort the dangerous pregnancy.  She is currently writing a book on parenting.

6.  Clare Booth Luce.  What does a single mother divorced from a nasty alcoholic do during the Great Depression?  She writes a series of hit plays, becomes the eventual editor of Vanity Fair magazine, a foreign correspondent for Life magazine, a congresswoman in her home state, and ambassador to Italy under President Eisenhower.  In 1979 the United States Military Academy bestowed on Mrs. Luce their esteemed Thayer Award for representing the Military Academy motto, "Duty, Honor, Country," and in 1983 President Reagan awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her service to the United States.

5.  Leigh Anne Tuohy.  Whose life is so influential or remarkable that others would write a book and make a movie about it? In The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game author Michael Lewis describes Mrs. Tuohy as having “an eye for detail, a nose for trouble, the heart of a lion and the will of a storm trooper.”  Actress Sandra Bullock, who plays Tuohy in the movie, stated that meeting Leigh Anne Tuohy showed her that there really are some Christians who “walk the walk.”  The Blind Side is the feel-good movie of the year.

4. Sarah Palin. Her resume speaks for itself. Wife. Mother of four. Commercial fisherman. City Council Woman. Mayor. Governor. Vice-Presidential candidate. Author. Speaker. Fox News Contributor. Unapologetic Christian. Hockey mom. Pit-bull with lipstick.  Hopefully she’ll make America and the world a much better place in 2012.

3.  Frances Rice.  This Atlanta, Georgia native is the current chairman of the National Black Republican Association which she co-founded in 2005 in an effort to return black Americans to their Republican Party roots.  Even more impressive is Ms. Rice’s 20 years of active duty service in the U.S. Army, retiring in 1984 as a Lt. Colonel.  She can also boast an M.B.A., a law degree, and volunteer work on the campaigns of President Reagan and both Presidents Bush.

2. Phyllis Schlafly. Mrs. Schlafly is probably the single most successful opponent of radical feminism in the last forty years, beginning notably with the Eagle Forum, a national pro-family movement advocating preservation of traditional family values. Ladies’ Home Journal named Mrs. Schlafly one of its 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century, her syndicated column appears in 100 newspapers nationwide, and she’s the author of 20 books.  A lawyer with an M.A. in Political Science from Harvard, Phyllis Schlafly is the mother of six children.  You go girl.

1.  Mary Magdalene.  Often misidentified as a repentant prostitute, she was the unofficial thirteenth disciple and a great friend to Jesus. She stood under Jesus’ cross at his crucifixion when all of the other disciples except John hid in fear. In all gospel accounts Jesus treats Mary Magdalene with dignity and respect, first driving demons out of her and then appearing to her first after his Resurrection—a sure sign of his trust and admiration.  Her uncomplicated and steadfast faith in the saving grace of Jesus makes her an original, baby, and number one on this list.