At the exact same moment that delegates were nominating Hillary Clinton as the official Democratic nominee on Tuesday, Chelsea Clinton was on an all-female panel talking about her mother. "It's really hard for any of us to imagine what we can't see," she said at the Glamour-Facebook event, referring to Clinton becoming the first woman to hold such a title. "I'm just really proud that little girls will be able to redirect their imaginations in other ways, because my mother will have broken down this barrier."
Throughout the historic night, this same theme popped up in the speeches (and glass-ceiling-breaking videos) and, perhaps more importantly, in the women we spoke with — no matter what their age or race. While some people have said that Clinton is playing the "gender card" or her gender shouldn't be a factor in her accomplishment, it's undoubtedly part of her life story and the narrative of the 2016 election. Ahead, hear from women at the Democratic National Convention who can't wait to call her Madam President.
"I was very lucky to grow in a household where I always knew I would have the same opportunities as my brother someday, so I never doubted that if I wanted to be president, I could maybe be. But to finally see that being achieved in my lifetime is incredible — especially when it's someone like Hillary Clinton who has been in public service for so long and fought for women and children and families and all Americans."
"I grew up admiring her. I remember the days when she was taunted about her hairstyle while raising a daughter that's my age, while trying to take over the health care system. Her becoming the president means I'd able to tell my daughter, 'Yeah, you do have that opportunity.' The same way I told my son that in 2008 when Obama became president."
2 / 10
Jen Koss, age 38, an American living in Toronto, Canada
"I mean, listen, yeah, she's a woman. Does it matter? Yeah, it does matter. Let's be honest. The fact that our country has never had a woman president is a big deal. Whether that means she's going to lead our country in a different way because she's a woman — no, I don't think that's the case, but I do think it's quite a symbolic thing to have a woman in power at the head and it's part of the dialogue, as it should be."
"It's a dream to see a woman become president. It's a dream for my daughters — I have three daughters and three granddaughters. My 3-and-a-half-year-old and 12-year-old, they asked me, 'Nanny, when you were my age, did you think there was going to be a woman president?' And I said, 'No, I really didn't. Things were so different then and it's a thrill for you to have this in your life.' I didn't grow up thinking I could be anything I wanted. I had aspirations but I didn't know if I could do it. Now, my grandkids can do it."
"This is I think actually more important for black women than any other group, because we're always on the low end of the totem pole. But when black men crack through and then white women, it means black women can get through that door. I think Hillary Clinton has always been on the side of racial justice and social justice and making things better for everyone."
"It opens up the doors for everyone else. I'm a proud Latina and so I hope one day that I see the first Hispanic president. Seeing her it's like saying, 'See this glass ceiling? We're making cracks on it, we're shattering it.' Hopefully it gets more Latina woman out there to be represented."
"I've been waiting for this day for so long and also, I can't believe it's taken this long," said Simmons, an artist and mother of Lena Dunham. Speaking of Dunham's outspoken support for Clinton, Simmons said, "She's learned it from her mom — we have a special bond anyway but it doesn't hurt that we support the same candidate."
"Whether we like it or not, her being the first potential female president is significant. I consider myself a huge feminist, so I think it's great that she's breaking these barriers without it being seen as it's only because she's a woman, and the token woman in this race. She is truly qualified, and anyone with eyes can see that."
8 / 10
Marguerite Willis, "old enough to know better," Columbia, SC
"What it really means, as one of my friends says, is we don't have to lie to our little girls anymore. We can tell them they can be anything they want. Because now they can. There's still endemic, entrenched inequality in this world. I'm the most successful lawyer in the state of South Carolina — it's not for me. I've made it. But I want to make sure that what I've had to go through to get to where I am is not lost for the girls behind me."
"Being a woman, we're constantly pushed down and have to fight to get the same amount of pay as a man. It's taken us so long to get simple things like voting rights, so I think this could be something monumental. Her personality and how strong willed she is — she's fighting for this and that's admirable as a female to not quit even though people keep on shutting the door."
