Ladies, do you ever question your career trajectory? Don’t. Kubaba is the earliest female ruler we know about today (ca 2500-2330). She started her career as a tavern keeper & ended up ruling Sumer for 100 yrs. She was worshipped as a goddess for at least 1000 yrs after her death

Empress Theodora of the Eastern Roman Empire, according to a contemporary source, started as a low-paid sex worker & actress. By age 27, she was Empress & a brilliant political strategist who helped build Constantinople (and the Hagia Sophia).

Zhao Feiyan started her career as a dancing girl in an imperial household, eventually earning the the name Feiyan, (translation flying swallow) due to her grace & agility. She drew the Emperor’s attention, ousted the Empress, & had herself installed as head bitch in charge

And my favorite, Ching Shih. She started as a prostitute in Guangdong, became a powerful pirate’s wife, & finally ruled the largest pirate fleet the world has ever seen (1500-1800 ships). She defied the odds & died peacefully at home in bed, despite a dangerous & violent life.

Our societal disdain for “low status” work is so bizarre. It’s ridiculous seeing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez heaped with scorn for starting as a bartender, when Kubaba proved 4300+ yrs ago (yes, four thousand three hundred!!) that you can start there & end up a queen or goddess.

Oh I should clarify that I want to change our view of “low status” work, not meaning to imply that being a bartender, dancer, prostitute is actually low value. These are some of the oldest professions in human history & it’s ridiculous that we try to devalue or criminalize them

Women don’t need to become empresses one day to still be valuable and worthy. But ideally, give us all swords just in case

Clarification on my typo above: ca 2500-2330 BCE, NOT CE. Basically the dawn of human recorded history