WHAT A WOMAN REALLY MEANS WHEN SHE SAYS THAT SHE HAS IT ALL

Let’s face it, Barbara Walters deserves to have more than one blog post spot after her death. When we think of Barbara Walters, we think of journalism. When we think of journalism, we think of Barbara Walters. She redefined the odds as a (female) journalist. All the female journalists that we have today have followed Barbara Walters’ footsteps. They were all inspired by her, and they considered her to be their ‘surrogate mother.’ The ladies of The View, past and present, all echoed that sentiment, at least when it came to talking about themselves and getting ahead in their careers thanks to Walters taking them on to be a part of her show.

When they paid tribute to the woman that was the first to believe in them all and the one that gave them their first taste of journalism, they all specifically talked about being a female journalism and how female journalists often ‘forget’ to have children because they’re so focused on their careers and getting ahead. Walters, however, never forgot about her personal life. She was married three times and had an adoptive daughter named Jackie.

As I continued watching and listening to the women talk about Barbara Walters, I got to thinking about women and women having it all. What does it even f*cking really mean for a woman to have it all? In the old days, it used to be that women were housewives taking care of their husbands and their children while men worked. Then it was that women literally did it all – they were married, took care of the houses, husbands and children while also joining the workforce working. Then it was more women taking on CEO roles, as well as more women starting their own businesses.

We’re in the year 2023. It’s the time where the statement of women having it all isn’t applicaple anymore. If it still is, it definitely shouldn’t be anymore. In this day and age, different women have very different definitions of having it all. Nowadays, women can be stay-at-home moms and say they have it all. Women can be in the workforce and say they have it all. Women can start their own businesses and they can say they have it all. Women can be married and live child-free lives and still, they can say they have it all. Women can be single their whole lives, do whatever they want such as travel the world, and they’ll say they have it all.

Women make their own definitions of what their ‘all’ looks like. It all depends on such factors as how they’re raised, their environments when they’re young, and life’s circumstances. No matter the case, all women should see themselves as successful and badass women who thrive. I personally should’ve told myself that a long time ago. If I could have a chat with my younger self, I’d do just that.

My own definition of success and having it all is fairly simple. I live an independent life, I have a great family, I have friends that support me and motivate me to be better, I’m married to someone who is my biggest supporter and cheerleader, I’ve traveled to so many places around the world some people only dream of visiting in their lifetimes, I have my own business, and I have a child. Not many women can say they have all that, especially women, or people in general, who are in my shoes – living with cerebral palsy and, following surviving a car accident that could’ve been deadly, epilepsy, as well as having gone through 5 years of infertility struggles. I pinch myself every single day to remind myself just how f*cking lucky I really am.

That’s not to say I don’t strive to do better. On the contrary, I always want to improve myself. I always want to learn and grow; not just as a woman, but as a person. I always want to gain new knowledge and learn new skills. With that, I become a better everything – a better mother, a better wife, a better friend, a better businesswoman, you name it. I’ll get to teach my son everything I know and I get to write about it here. To be a great leader, one must be a great follower. That’s all I aim to be.