What is a hero? Who is a hero to you? My definition is one who is a strong person in society, a feminist, a role model, and a caring person. My hero is Hillary Clinton.

It states in our Constitution that men and women are equal, but are they? In American society women are supposed to be housewives, or have a small job so they can still take good care of their children. If a woman is a successful business woman, she may be looked down upon. Hillary Clinton has been criticized as being a radical feminist who prefers the board room to the kitchen. I don't know how anyone can say something that is so completely sexist. She is a very intelligent, strong-willed feminist. She was the first student commencement speaker at Wellesley, part of the first wave of women to go to law school, a prominent partner in a major law firm, and rated one of the top 100 lawyers in the country. If men and women were truly equal, a woman with all these accomplishments would not, and should not, be ridiculed or looked down upon.

Hillary Clinton is the strongest woman I have ever seen in my life. She showed her strength when Jerry Brown charged that her law firm benefited unfairly from her marriage to the Arkansas Governor. To which she shot back, "I suppose I could have stayed home, baked cookies and had teas. The work that I have done as a professional, a public advocate, has been aimed to assure that women can make the choices ... whether it's full-time career, full-time motherhood or some combination."

Unfortunately though, some look down on Hillary Clinton for being as successful as she is. Too many people believe women should be unemployed, and spend their lives raising children. I do not even know of a single household where the woman does not do the cooking, cleaning, laundry, take care of the kids, etc. I also do not know of a household where the woman has a more prominent career than her husband. Does this mean men are smarter than women? No, in fact in my high school more girls receive high honors than boys. It's an eternity of stereotyping women which manipulates young women into thinking they have to be the homemaker. We need equal opportunity and pay for both men and women, and we women need to fight for it. I believe Hillary Clinton is going to set the example for modern feminism in the United States, and I hope she can help end century-old stereotypes of women. n