HILLARY CLINTON: THE WOMAN WHO DOESN’T TAKE “NO” FOR ANSWER

For American women of a certain age, the word “no” is a familiar one.  No, they couldn’t be class president. No, they couldn’t attend certain top colleges or professional schools. No, they couldn’t do jobs men traditionally did.

Hillary Clinton grew up just as that world was beginning to change, and she heard “no” plenty of times.

Starting today, U.S. voters will decide whether she’ll finally hear “yes,” whether she can win the Democratic nomination for president, potentially becoming the first female commander in chief. As the process begins, here’s how the word “no” has propelled her so far:

* In high school in Park Ridge, Ill., Hillary Rodham daringly ran for class president against several boys, even though one told her she was “really stupid” for thinking she could win. She didn’t win but she got a taste for speaking up and went on to other school leadership roles.

* At Wellesley College, Rodham and fellow students wanted a class speaker at graduation. The college president refused, but Rodham pressed her until she finally relented. Rodham became the school’s first student commencement speaker and her pointed words landed her in a national magazine, bringing her fame at an early age.

* When she went to take the law school admissions test, the men in the room harassed her, saying she shouldn’t be there and should just get married instead. She was accepted at both Harvard and Yale, and chose Yale.

* As the first female lawyer at her corporate law firm, top partners couldn’t criticize her enough: Her clothes weren’t frilly enough, her hair wasn’t styled, she didn’t wear makeup, her glasses were too big, she spoke up too much. But she persevered – and became the firm’s first female partner, earning national recognition in the process.

* Perhaps the worst “no” she ever heard was famously from her husband. She asked if he had a relationship with Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton repeatedly told her no. When Bill finally told her the truth, she called it “the most devastating, shocking and hurtful experience of my life.” Then she gave all of us a lesson in dignity: remade herself, running for and winning the job of U.S. senator for New York.

* In 2008, voters told her no again. Though she started her campaign with a large lead, she lost the Democratic nomination to a youthful, charismatic Barack Obama. Impressed with her, he made her Secretary of State, which opened the door for this year’s run.

Credit: Glamour Magazine