The 1996 Article Every Millennial Should Read

The question as to why many Millennials —and millennial feminists in particular— seem to have turned their backs on Hillary Clinton has been explored at length this primary season. The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, and Los Angeles Times have all come to varying conclusions: Hillary is “not feminist enough,” Hillary is “part of the establishment,” and Bernie’s youthful idealism is more appealing than Hillary’s less sexy pragmatism.

All of these factors undoubtedly play a large role in the overall negative perception some Millennials have of Hillary Clinton, but the more obvious answer is simply this: we Millennials are coming to know Hillary Clinton after 20 years of relentless personal and political attacks.

Whatever you may think of her, you cannot deny that no other public figure has been subjected to the kind of merciless scrutiny that Hillary Clinton has endured throughout her career. It has become nearly impossible to distinguish fact from fiction with respect to the many accusations that have been leveled at Hillary Clinton. To put it blatantly, we Millennials aren’t familiar with the Hillary Clinton that our parents know.


Those of us born after 1980 don’t remember First Lady Hillary Clinton. The First Lady who campaigned alongside her husband in the 1992 election, with “two for the price of one” capturing the essence of America’s first presidential Power Couple. The First Lady who was mercilessly attacked for not conforming to the Stepford Wife persona expected of her as a political spouse. The First Lady who took on healthcare reform rather than stick to a so-called “women’s issue.” The First Lady who, despite being advised against it, famously declared “Women’s rights are human rights” at the 1995 UN Conference in Beijing. The First Lady who was forced to sacrifice so much of her identity for the advancement of her husband’s political career — captured poetically with the final surrender of her maiden name.

This is the First Lady our parents watched every day in the 1990s news cycle. And this is the Hillary Clinton with whom we are largely unfamiliar.

Following Bill Clinton’s re-election in November 1996, The Nation published a beautiful piece by Erica Jong entitled “Hillary’s Husband Re-Elected: The Clinton Marriage of Politics and Power” which explores the complicated and tragic journey of then First Lady Hillary Clinton.


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