MT PLEASANT, SC (WCSC) - The first woman Citadel graduate and Lowcountry state representative Nancy Mace posted on Instagram Wednesday morning saying that the female politicians who wore white at the State of The Union on Tuesday night “further sets women back.”
Mace accompanied her post with a photo of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wearing white at the State of The Union on Tuesday night.
Ocasio-Cortez’s decision was in line with many other female lawmakers who decided to wear white outfits to honor the suffragette movement in the 20th century.
“2019 is the 100th anniversary of the women’s right to vote ... and there’s so much more that we have to fight for,” Ocasio-Cortez told CNN before the event. “From wage equality, to paycheck fairness, to protecting ourselves and believing survivors.”
Mace also said that women make a mistake when they make their identity the story.
“The point of breaking glass ceilings is so that, after they’re broken, it doesn’t matter anymore,” she said. “The American experiment is built on the premise that if you set a goal, show up on time and work hard, then success is within reach. We can ALL achieve the American dream regardless of our gender.”
Mace enrolled at the school in the fall of 1996 and graduated in 1999. Shannon Faulkner was the first to enroll at the school but didn’t graduate.
Mace’s whole post can be found below:
I’m a mom, a businesswoman and a state legislator serving South Carolina. At a young age, I was determined to forge my own path through life. And nearly 20 years ago I became the first female graduate of The Citadel after following in my father’s footsteps. I also have experience starting my own business and in 2017 ran for - and won - a seat in the state legislature, on my own terms.
As women we make a fundamental mistake when we make our identity as women the WHOLE story.
The point of breaking glass ceilings is so that, after they’re broken, it doesn’t matter anymore. The American experiment is built on the premise that if you set a goal, show up on time and work hard, then success is within reach. We can ALL achieve the American dream regardless of our gender.
The identity politics being overplayed by liberal women in Washington, on display during the president’s State of the Union last night, further sets women back rather than advancing our futures. Acting like we just earned the right to vote and are held back strictly because of our gender is an enormous disservice to women everywhere.
We don’t need to dress alike.
We don’t need to think alike.
We don’t need to act alike.
We simply need to be present and be working for ALL of the people who elected us.
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