Friday, May 16, 2008

tracks of my tears

Much has been made of this clip from a CNN interview featuring Hillary Clinton crying while talking about daughter Chelsea.

Of course, it's raised the inevitable discussion about the double standard involving crying and politicians. When a female politician cries, it's a sign she belongs to the weaker sex. When a male cries, meanwhile, it's a sign of heroism.

On a more practical level, the crying game gets equally sticky once you enter the workforce. At every job I've had since college, there's been the obligatory cubicle crier who comes into the office with perpetually puffy eyes.

This Marie Claire piece says crying at work can in some cases actually further a career, but I don't know if I'm sold.

I've cried at work ONCE, and it made me feel sappy, weak and unprofessional.

What do you think? Is it OK for women to cry at work? Does it make a difference if you're crying about something work-related versus something pertaining to your personal life?

(For more about Hilary Clinton, check out the Ledger's political blog here.)