Deborah Birx Brings New Era of Feminine Gravitas
Article by Janice Shaw Crouse in "The American Thinker":
Our
eyes have become accustomed to the visual clichés of the media. The
male news anchor is a man of expertise and experience paired with a
promising young woman who is smart but not yet accomplished. He has the
gravitas of a person at the pinnacle of his career and she has the sex
appeal of a vibrant young woman who has potential and promise, but is
not yet proven. He is in his 60s and she is in her early to mid-30s.
Around the conference table are men who are immediately recognizable;
they are male leaders known for their experience and position. The two
or three women are beautiful young aspiring leaders who obviously have
the potential of “going somewhere” in their careers, but, alas, they are
not yet seasoned by experience; they haven’t yet really earned their
place at the table! We’ve all rejoiced at the sight of a few women
around the President at the famous Resolute desk in the Oval Office and
at the increasing visibility of colorful dresses among the dark suits,
but the disparity of gravitas between the women and men has become more
and more glaring.
Then,
along comes the coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force,
Deborah L. Birx. At 63 years-of-age, Dr. Birx has earned significant
credentials and she carries herself as a woman of distinction and
expertise. She exudes gravitas – effortlessly, simply as part and parcel
of what her years of diligence and hard work have shaped her to be.
Dr.
Birx is a public health physician who formerly served as an ambassador
and the director of the global HIV/AIDS program at the Centers for
Disease Control. Dr. Birx is also Col. Birx, having served for 20 years
in the Army as an immunology clinician before retiring from the military
in 2005. She has both developed and patented vaccines, “including leading
one of the most influential HIV vaccine trials in history.” She holds
two U.S. Meritorious Service medals in addition to the Legion of Merit
Award. The director of the scientific advisory board for Pepfar
described Dr. Birx as a “bold leader” who makes decisions based on the data and has garnered respect for being willing to make the hard calls.
Dr.
Birx obviously belongs among the leaders who are advising the president
and leading the nation’s response to the global pandemic of Covid-19.
In fact, she is a stand-out among all the experts, male and female, who
surround the president at the briefings. It’s easy to see that the
camaraderie is among equals, with the president even teasing Dr. Birx
about her minor fever the previous weekend.
Clearly,
Deborah Birx is ushering in a new era of feminine gravitas. Many of us
have frequently said that when a woman is finally president, she will be
a conservative. In Deborah Birx we have a role model for feminine
leadership. She is a grandmother who is non-partisan.
She has served three different administrations from both major
political parties. Phil Burgess in his article about her, quoted a
former colleague who described Birx as “fearless about sticking to what the data dictates regardless of politics.” The New York Post
described her as having “had a tranquil demeanor and a serious but airy
voice that acted as a release value on the pressure cooker we had
suddenly found ourselves in.”
While
little is known about her personal life, we know that Deborah Birx is
married and that her two 90-something-year-old parents live with her.
Her father is a retired professional mathematician and electrical
engineer and her mother was a nursing instructor. She has two
millennial-aged daughters. According to Oprah Magazine,
Birx believes that her daughters’ generation – “bright and hardworking”
-- is pivotal in fighting the Coronavirus because they are so
successful at communicating digitally without meeting face-to-face. She
said, “They intuitively know how to contact each other without being in
large social gatherings.” Further, she described millennials
as “incredibly good about understanding how to protect one another, how
to protect their parents and how to protect their grandparents.”
Without
so much as a nod to what current fashion dictates, Dr. Birx has made
the scarf her signature professional accessory. She wears them in
multiple ways – draped over her shoulders, around her neck, tucked into
her jacket, and hanging over one shoulder. She wears a variety of
understated, but chic or vibrant jackets. Her elegant clothing
– that is so appropriate to her professional status and femininity --
is “quietly important, sending us subliminal messages of confidence and
capability” . . . “she brings “her special brand of sartorial serenity
and strength to the country.”
I
mentioned Deborah Birx in a social media post last week. I was
surprised at the number of responses from other women who are taking
note of her excellence: “So gracious and brilliant!” “Stellar example of
a woman who maintains her femininity while leading.” “She is
wonderful.” “She is my hero.” “Dr. Brix is brilliant, classy,
diplomatic, and data-driven.” “She demonstrates patience and grace under
pressure while holding her own.” “She is one of the most precise and
incisive communicators on this Task Force.”
One commentator described
Birx as the “chic, but not too chic, maternal presence we didn’t
realize we needed until she appeared.” Further, the author said,
“Although she looks like a walking hug, she has the type of staked
monster resume that would make her the No. 1 overall draft pick in any
draft.” Even her clothes convey her competence as well as her approachability:
Dr. Birx is efficiently and purposefully “cleaning up our nation’s mess with her brains instead of a vacuum and marigold gloves. It (is) a testament to the versatility and power of femininity.” We can hope that she is also opening up receptivity in the media and public square for older professional women of accomplishment, dignity and feminine gravitas.”During uncertain times, it might seem frivolous to focus on or even mention anything aesthetic, like clothing; but it’s quietly important, sending us subliminal messages of confidence and capability. In every briefing since the Rose Garden appearance, Birx has brought her special brand of sartorial serenity and strength to the country.Unlike many women in top perches of American society, who thrive off the fumes of their structured, angular power suits and unimaginative shift dresses, Birx relies on soft silhouettes, feminine frocks and her seemingly unending supply of scarves that she neatly drapes and wraps around her shoulders. Instead of look-at-me reds and electric hues, she opts for muted dark blues and namaste earth tones.”
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