ABSTRACT
Women have opportunities afforded them that were rarely available to women in the past. Alice Gertrude Bryant became one of the first two women admitted to the American College of Surgeons in 1914. Bryant graduated from Vassar College in 1885 and from the Women’s Medical College of the New York Infirmary in 1890. Wilma Mankiller researched her identity; she grew in understanding her roots. She is an example of a minority woman leader who communicates her story and herself with authenticity. Mary Robinson used her gifts as a woman. She believed that women needed to trust their experience, to be true to themselves. Because women are minorities themselves they often understand those who are outcasts or underdogs. Looking at the icons that are held up for women and girls to emulate in our culture throws light on the tension women feel. Models are very thin; they weigh 23 percent less than the average woman.
