Ever since Donna de Varona won swimming gold in the 1964 Olympics, I've been enamored of women's Olympic swimming. (At the time, I was a competitive swimmer, so de Varona was god.) This year, American swimmer Missy Franklin caught my attention, especially when I learned "The Missile" was her nickname.  What's that about, I wondered.

 

It's about launching down the (pool) lane to victory, with every bit of strength you've got. 

 

I learned about Franklin the same day Jodi Jacobson reported on a Ninth Circuit court decision about Arizona's restrictive abortion law. It occurred to me that girlspolitics, who care about our constitutionally protected right to abortion and seeing more women win public office, would do well, as I write here for RH Reality Check, to study The Missile's playbook.

 

Later last week, I was glued to the TV watching Gabby Douglas. When I went to the Internet

to learn about her, I read an article from The Root about negative chatter about Douglas' hair. I couldn't believe it, yet there's still talk. (See Mary Mitchell's smart column in the Chicago Sun-Times.) I wrote a piece for Huffington Post Style (my first), sharing my (very personal) take on the curly-kinky hair topic. I wrote that there is a sisterhood in this female experience we fail to recognize and draw strength from: shame on us. 

 

Tuesday, Chris Jansing narrated a truly inspiring piece about all of the Olympic women. "Strong is getting prettier and prettier," said Sally Jenkins, Washington Post writer, summing-up the lesson the Olympians teach. I hope the November 2012  teaches the same lesson: winning is also the new pretty.

 

Rebecca