I don't think it's really justified, or rather good examples to use, to talk about Hillary Clinton or Kamala Harris as examples of strong feminist (or 'feminine', would be a better word) figures. Both of these characters have fully supported America's patriarchal genocidal wars, for example, which alone is about as anti-feminine as you can get. In other words, with these examples one should not judge them 'as women', but as 'characters' and 'personalities'. If they were genuinely strong and feminine people they would've at least tried their damnedest to make the world a better place. But they have consistently done the opposite.
I, as an English person, would cite exactly the same for the 'allegedly' 'female' prime ministers we've had to endure, namely Thatcher and Theresa May (I'm not counting Liz Truss because she never got a chance to do anything). But both Thatcher and May inflicted horrific cruelty on the British people, thus betraying the fact that neither of them had an ounce of positive feminine traits whatsoever. During the miners' strikes in 1980s, for example, Thatcher removed financial support from the children of the miners, thus using starvation of children as a weapon. Thatcher was notorious for policies throughout her tenure which are nothing short of child abuse.
So I think that it would be better to find other examples of women with genuinely virtuous traits in the modern world who have suffered at the hands of the patriarchy. Although of course you are correct in that many of the attacks on the likes of Clinton and Harris are indeed patriarchal, I would say the people carrying out those attacks are deliberately deceiving people into thinking that Clinton and Harris are positive role models for women, when the truth is they are exactly the opposite. Unfortunately there are so many 'women' who falsely call themselves feminists but then pursue distinctly patriarchal agendas. The list is long.
Having said all of that, I totally adored everything else you said in your article! I have been instinctively both a feminist, and attracted to medieval (social) history since I was young. So I am right with you on all of that.
I don't think it's really justified, or rather good examples to use, to talk about Hillary Clinton or Kamala Harris as examples of strong feminist (or 'feminine', would be a better word) figures. Both of these characters have fully supported America's patriarchal genocidal wars, for example, which alone is about as anti-feminine as you can get. In other words, with these examples one should not judge them 'as women', but as 'characters' and 'personalities'. If they were genuinely strong and feminine people they would've at least tried their damnedest to make the world a better place. But they have consistently done the opposite.
I, as an English person, would cite exactly the same for the 'allegedly' 'female' prime ministers we've had to endure, namely Thatcher and Theresa May (I'm not counting Liz Truss because she never got a chance to do anything). But both Thatcher and May inflicted horrific cruelty on the British people, thus betraying the fact that neither of them had an ounce of positive feminine traits whatsoever. During the miners' strikes in 1980s, for example, Thatcher removed financial support from the children of the miners, thus using starvation of children as a weapon. Thatcher was notorious for policies throughout her tenure which are nothing short of child abuse.
So I think that it would be better to find other examples of women with genuinely virtuous traits in the modern world who have suffered at the hands of the patriarchy. Although of course you are correct in that many of the attacks on the likes of Clinton and Harris are indeed patriarchal, I would say the people carrying out those attacks are deliberately deceiving people into thinking that Clinton and Harris are positive role models for women, when the truth is they are exactly the opposite. Unfortunately there are so many 'women' who falsely call themselves feminists but then pursue distinctly patriarchal agendas. The list is long.
Having said all of that, I totally adored everything else you said in your article! I have been instinctively both a feminist, and attracted to medieval (social) history since I was young. So I am right with you on all of that.