The L(o)usia Lessons
BY HEATHER REID
s a GenX woman, I
came of age in an
era of change.
Geraldine Ferraro ran for Vice President, and Sandra Day O'Connor took her place on the Supreme Court. Sally Ride soared into space.
Perfume ads assured me that I could bring home the bacon AND fry it up in the pan while wearing heels. When I was in college, 1992 was declared the Year of the Woman when they won more seats in the Senate and the Congress in a single election than ever before.
I was raised with these women as role models, believing I could have it all as long as I do it all myself.
Which brings me to the question: Almost 60 years later, how far have we come, from Louisa to Luisa?
The first Louisa is, of course, Louisa Von Trapp, eldest daughter in The Sound of Music, who famously flirted with a young soldier named Rolf and escaped into the mountains with her family. Early in the film, she spins around a gazebo and reveals her utter dependence on the young messenger:
A