Inaugural Pomp and Circumstance

     This year was the first year that I actually sat and watched a good portion of the inauguration, and I never realized how much pomp and circumstance is involved. The flags everywhere, the music, the outfits, it's a lot. The funny thing is that the whole ceremony is centered around the swearing-in of the President, which only takes about 30 seconds. Everything else is fluff. Fun, fluff, though! Beyonce fluff! While the politicians are mostly men (still?! Come on, America), there were many notable females involved in the inauguration.
     Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court Justice and the third female justice, swore in Vice President Biden. Biden chose her himself, which I thought was a nice touch. Myrlie Evers-Williams, a prominent civil rights activist, delivered the invocation. Kelly Clarkson sang "America the Beautiful" and of course, Queen Beyonce sang (allegedly lip-synched :( ) the National Anthem.
     Aside from all of these wonderful women, obviously Michelle Obama was a focus of the media all day and all weekend. The First Lady is an icon, possibly the most idolized since Jackie O. Not only for her keen fashion sense, but also for her activism. It is unfortunate, however, that the media always seems to focus on what she is wearing rather than what she is doing. Twitter explodes every time she steps out in a new dress, coat, hair style. Nobody ever asks who the President is wearing, but that's what the media constantly highlights when it comes to Michelle. I don't know that the coverage of the First Lady would be the same had it been Ann Romney instead.
     It is impossible to ignore the fact that most of the people involved in the inauguration, in any way, were men. The politicians, the broadcasters, the reporters, are overwhelmingly male. America is more than ready for more women in power. It is frustrating to hear critics saying that women are too emotional to make important decisions, not smart enough to handle such responsibility. I guarantee that all of the wives standing beside their husbands in Congress, in the Cabinet, in the Oval Office, are all the backbones of their husbands.