Watch out, Washington! While other girls might dream of being pop-stars or famous actresses, seven-year-old Abigail Jones’ ambitious goal is to one day serve as a United States senator who gets interrupted at a much higher rate than her male colleagues.
How cute is that?
“Ever since she’s been able to talk, Abigail has loved watching women like Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, and Kamala Harris be interrupted on C-SPAN,” explained Jones’ mother Crystal. “One day, she turned to me and said, ‘I could put up with that.’” Our hearts are melting!
Still in second grade, Abigail is already ready to trade in getting interrupted when she speaks up in science class for being talked over when she asks a valid and important question during a senate intelligence hearing.
“I just want to have my ideas heard, no matter how loudly I have to shout them over the male majority, or the subsequent backlash I get for coming off as shrill or mannish,” explained precocious little Abigail.
Asked what she expected her life as a female senator to be like, Abigail said that she imagines she’ll have to walk a fine line between approachable and serious, be better prepared than any of her male peers, and bare the brunt of the blame for any of her party’s failings.
Emily’s List, an organization that helps women get elected to political office, has already reached out to Abigail in hopes that she will keep pursuing her political dreams.
“We see so many smart, talented women and young girls who are content with the casual misogyny of their hometowns and office jobs,” explained a spokesperson for the organization. “Why not set your sights on the explicit and deeply rooted misogyny of the United States government?”
Abigail is already busy preparing for her future career as a U.S. Senator by patiently waiting for the boys in her class to finish talking, starting to make her point, getting interrupted, waiting some more, continuing to make her point, hair flip, and so on.
While Abigail’s parents are confident that she will achieve her dreams, her teacher Mrs. Jameson thinks another student, Joey S. is more likely to get into politics.
“I doubt he knows who the president is, but he’s so charming and always gets what he wants,” she explained. “That’s why I always call on him and why I let him interrupt me while I’m teaching.”
