Hillary Clinton shattered glass ceilings and became a symbol of cultural feminism, establishes documentary

"She is both one of the most admired women and one of the most vilified women in American history," Jake Sullivan, former senior policy advisor to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign says of her in the upcoming Hulu documentary titled 'Hillary.'

Political pundits often talk about how polarizing a figure Hillary Rodham Clinton is, with one section believing her to be a dedicated liberal championing marginal rights while the other thinks she is 'crooked', as infamously put by President Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign. While arguments made by both sides are debatable, there is no denying that Hillary, over the years, emerged as a cultural icon and an inspiration to many women by breaking the glass ceiling everywhere she went.

Hillary Diane Rodham was raised in a methodist conservative family in Chicago, her father a staunch Republican. Although she won many accolades during her school years, there were multiple incidents that consistently reminded her that women in her era did not have equal rights as men. Once, NASA (in)famously responded to her letter, rejecting her childhood dream of becoming an astronaut by telling her women were not accepted into the program.

As an ambitious student, her last straw was when she ran for class president for her senior year against two boys and lost. She was again reminded that a girl could not be class president. Shortly after, Hillary decided to go to Wellesley College, a private women's college, where her gender did not obstruct her ambitions.

She majored in political science and became the president of the Wellesley Young Republicans in her first year. However, during this period she became disillusioned with the party ideals and stepped down from her position. She attended Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches and was deeply moved by them. Her perspective on the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War no longer aligned with her Republican upbringing. By the end of her junior year, she declared herself an anti-war Democrat.

She was eventually elected the president of Wellesley College Government Association and became the first student in the college's history to speak at their commencement event, receiving a standing ovation for criticizing the commencement speaker at the event Senator Edward Brooke.

Hillary and some of her friends from college decided to try applying to Yale. It was rare for women to get admitted to a prestigious college. She was harassed by men during the entrance test, with many asking her to go back and handle household chores. However, Hillary was among the 27 women accepted into Yale Law School that year. America was witnessing the second wave of feminism in the '70s and Hillary was an active part of it.

She decided to take family law, it was seen as radical by many, but Hillary was determined to work for children and women's rights because of her mother's terrible childhood and upbringing.

Yale is also where she met her future husband Bill Clinton. The pair began dating a few weeks after meeting, Bill was besotted by her drive.

Hillary, after college, became a member of the impeachment inquiry staff in Washington, D.C., and advised the House Committee on the Judiciary during the Watergate scandal while Bill went back to Arkansas to teach law. He proposed to Hillary shortly after their college ended and wanted her to come with him to Arkansas, but she wanted to pursue her ambitions. She helped research procedures of impeachment, which led to President Richard Nixon's ultimate resignation.

During her years in Washington, Bill came to visit her and she decided to give love a chance and went to Arkansas with Bill, taking a law teaching job with him. The pair married.

Bill later elected to Attorney General while Hillary was appointed the first female chair of the Legal Services Corporation in 1978. She also took a job as a lawyer in the region's oldest law firm Rose Law Firm, becoming the first female lawyer there and eventually the first female partner.  Bill ran for governor and won, making her the first lady of Arkansas. She was the first first lady of the state to have a full-time job, she did not take her husband's last name, she didn't have children. She didn't fit the image of the first lady.

She was opposed by many, however, she insisted on keeping her job and her name. However, this changed when Bill ran for a second term and lost. Hillary was considered a significant factor behind it. She then decided to make some compromises for her husband's career and changed her name to Hillary Rodham Clinton, she began wearing makeup, became more presentable and welcomed their daughter Chelsea. Shortly after, Bill ran for Governor again and won.

By the time Bill decided to run for president, Hillary was a successful lawyer and was making thrice as much as him. She played a critical role in building Bill's campaign and many media organizations at the time joked that the wrong Clinton was running. Instead of just accompanying her husband to the rallies, Hillary gave powerful speeches at many of them. She became a real shock test for the society at the time as people began questioning the role of women, who were seen as limited to the kitchen and handling familial affairs. A potential first lady with a successful career was something unheard of. Hillary became a cultural symbol.

While there were many who welcomed a career-driven woman as a first lady, there were others who frowned upon it. When some reporters questioned her on the criticism, she responded by saying she had a career to aspire to and was not going to sit at home preparing cookies and tea. Her comments, however, did not sit well with housemakers and media who branded her elitist and a radical feminist. After receiving heavy criticism, she had to tone herself down.

1992, the election year, was called the year of the woman after the Anita Hill debacle. Hill's sexual assault complaint and the derogatory response from male senators questioning her spurred women to run for Senate seats. Many won and introduced a senate bathroom bill as women did not even have their own bathroom in the senate.

"I've always thought of Hillary as ahead of her time," Amy Chozick, NYT reporter said in the documentary.

Hillary after winning the office became the first first lady to have her own office in the West Wing of the White House, meant for policy. As she increasingly began participating in the administrative affairs, taking an active role in formulating a healthcare plan, many began demonizing her. She was viewed as an overpowering woman taking control of her husband. Media became increasingly critical of her and she was labeled as a scary, bra-burning liberal.

Her effigies were burnt in a rally where she went to talk about her National Healthcare Reform and Secret Service warned of potential violence on her. It was the first time she felt physically threatened and again decided to step back.

"I had to recede, I created too much static," Hillary said in the documentary.

She then directed her attention to international tours along with her daughter Chelsea. She traveled to South Asia, including India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan and witnessed the lack of women's rights in the countries. She was subsequently invited to a UN convention in Beijing, however, everyone advised against her going considering China's human rights violation. Hillary, however, went and in the heart of the country talked about those violations.

She primarily talked about women's rights, domestic abuse, rape, lack of education, basic facilities to women. She received thunderous applause for her stance. Hillary there famously said: "Women's rights are human rights, and human rights are women's rights." The slogan became the motto of the women's rights movement in 2015.

After her husband's second term, Hillary decided to run for the Senate seat in New York, eventually winning it. She became the first first lady to run for a senator's position in history. She worked with Republican senators who staunchly opposed her husband during his term and even became friendly with them. She passed the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) program working with Republicans. Senator Lindsey Graham, at the time, even wrote a tribute to her in Time magazine, remarking how sincere a senator she was. She put her name on more legislation than any other senator in Congress at the time.

After her senate term, she decided to run for president, becoming the first first lady to run for office. She received varied advice when she began her campaign. What she should wear, what she should sound like, to tone down her voice, how to make her hair, how to present herself. She also faced protesters during a rally who carried "Iron My Shirt" posters, suggesting that a woman's role was limited to the household. America was not ready for a woman president. She lost the nomination to Barack Obama, who later acknowledged her expertise and made her his Secretary of State.

Hillary persevered and ran for the presidency again for the 2016 polls, eventually shattering the glass ceiling to become the first female presidential nominee of any major party. However, she was attacked by her political rival Donald Trump for being a woman. Trump, in his initial attacks at Hillary, said that the Democratic party would not have even considered her nomination if she was not a woman.

Hillary, at the time, was one of the most qualified candidates with a significant history of working in the government while Trump was a political novice. She lost against Trump. However, even in her defeat, she broke another barrier by becoming the first woman to win the popular vote in an American presidential election. 

Hulu's documentary 'Hillary' is set to premiere on Friday, March 6.