“Women have been trained to speak softly and carry a lipstick. Those days are over.”

—Bella Abzug, U.S. congresswoman

Bella, I salute you for being an early pioneer of the women’s movement and for being such a great role model for women.

Bella started out as a lawyer in the ’40s, when very few women did so, and went on to be a U.S. congresswoman and senator, social activist, and one of the leaders, along with Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan (now that’s a power trio), who founded the National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC). Spurred by Congress’ failure to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in 1970, these women believed legal, economic and social equity would come about only when women were equally represented among the nation’s political decision-makers. Thirty years later the NWPC is still going strong with over 300 state and local affiliates and a membership of 77,000. It is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to increasing women’s participation in all areas of political and public life — as elected and appointed officials, as delegates to national party conventions, as judges in the state and federal courts, and as lobbyists, voters and campaign organizers.

One of Bella’s most famous quotes was: “The woman’s place is in the House—the House of Representatives.”

Stop by every weekday for the daily quote from Women Who Rock. Your daily serving of fun, attitude, and brilliance courtesy of an amazing woman!  Check out the Women Rock category at the Cool Stuff Shoppe for great books, DVDs and merchandise from these great women. Thank you for clicking on the ads every time you visit to help pay for this site!

I was still in diapers when Peggy Fleming competed in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland and then went on to place sixth in the 1964 Olympics at the age of 15, but I was definitely old enough to catch the magic and national pride, in color no less, as she won the Olympic Gold Medal in Grenoble, France, in 1968! Check out this video of Peggy skating her gold medal routine at the U.S. National Championship in 1968.

I couldn’t find a good quality video of her skating in the 1968 Olympics, but if you want to see the highlights and watch her receive the gold in her awesome chartreuse outfit and puffy 60’s hairdo, then you’ll want to watch this video!

Did you know that her gold medal in Grenoble was the only gold medal that the U.S. Olympic team won in the 1968 Winter Games?  Imagine the media frenzy that would cause today!

I grew up watching Peggy on TV specials (she was on an episode of Fantasy Island – how cool is that!) and every year when my parents took me to see the Ice Follies for my birthday!  I loved watching her glide across the ice with such grace and beauty, and I felt a mystical kinship with her when she did her solo skate in that magical blue lighting to the music of “Ave Maria.”  Yep, she was a role model, not only for women figure skaters, but for me and countless other women, both then and today.

In 1999, Peggy was honored at the Sports Illustrated 20th Century Awards along with a group of seven other elite athletes (including Billie Jean King) that were named “Athletes Who Changed the Game,” for the extraordinary impact that they had on their sports.

Exactly 30 years to the date of her Olympic gold, Peggy underwent successful surgery for breast cancer and today is an inspiring breast cancer activist, informing women about the importance of early detection and living a healthy lifestyle.  If you don’t watch any of the videos on this page, please take a few minutes and listen to her inspiring words about a woman’s power to prevent breast cancer: A Golden Moment Speech.

So, if winning a gold medal and conquering breast cancer are not enough to qualify in my book as a woman who rocks, Peggy and her husband also make wine and own and operate Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Winery in Los Gatos, California!  She is living one of my dreams! The winery produces close to 2,000 cases of wine per year, with profits from one of the wines going towards charities that support breast cancer research.  I love drinking wine for a good cause!

Today Peggy’s interests are focused on health issues: fitness, eating healthy, and balance, she feels, are the keys to living a vital and satisfying life. Peggy – I couldn’t agree more.

I grew up watching Paige Palmer with my mom and sister on TV and can still remember sitting on my mom’s feet, at Paige’s urging, so my mother could reach her toes as she exercised. Paige was smart, worldly, confident, and invented her own way to be a feminist (no bra burning or hairy legs were involved)!

For those of you who have never heard of Paige Palmer, she was known as “The First Lady of Fitness” and was the star of a daily one-hour fitness show on WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio, where she demonstrated jumping jacks and scissor kicks in black fishnet stockings and pumps! She was responsible for helping most of the stay-at-home moms in Northeast Ohio build their muscles and their confidence. Remember, this was before Jane Fonda, workout videos, and going to the gym for step class.

Here are just a few of the cool things that Paige accomplished:

• At age 16, without her parents’ knowledge, she became an entrepreneur when she rented a house in Akron and started the School of Expression to teach dance and invited her friends to join along in teaching other subjects they knew. Her parents found out when she invited them to the open house. The School of Expression was a huge success!
• When she was 18, she was the physical education director at a private Akron girl’s school.
• She graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in physical fitness (what she loved) and also majored in home economics (because that was what was acceptable for women at the time).
• She parlayed her accomplishments into a highly successful television career in the 1940’s – and for over 25 years, she educated women about the benefits of exercise, nutrition, and fashion.
• She used her position to help women break down traditional barriers at the time by urging them to turn their hobbies into businesses, so they would not be totally dependent on their husbands.
• Taboo topics were not off the table for her as she educated women about the importance of yearly Pap tests.
• She patented exercise equipment and created her own fashion label.

In essence, she was an incredible role model for women and one who lived a full life until she passed away this past November at the age of 93.

Thanks, Paige!