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7 Ways You're Like Hillary In Her 20s

by Kendyl Kearly

We tend to boost iconic figures such as Hillary Clinton onto pedestals. We turn them into our role models and aspire to make the global impact that they have. However, we are not quite as different as we think sometimes. Just because you're (probably) not strutting your political swagger in pantsuits and taking on the White House doesn't mean that you aren't like her. In her 20s, Hillary Clinton was just like the rest of us and did a lot of things that you're likely doing now.

Just like you, Clinton had to face the terror that is growing up. She had to study hard and struggle with being considered good enough. Before she was a first lady, a senator, secretary of state, or a huge political figure, she was just a 20-year-old who still had a lot of life lessons to learn.

Although there might not have been Netflix and Urban Outfitters in the 1960s and '70s, when Hillary was a 20-something, she did a lot of the same things that young women do today. So while you are struggling to figure out what adulthood is and who you are going to be for the next 60-odd years, here are eight things that Hillary Rodham (as she was back then) was doing that are just like what you're doing now:

Working That Job Grind

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Don't feel too sorry for yourself as you waitress your way through your 20s. Hillary definitely had it worse. In the summer of 1969, she worked her way through Alaska. She washed dishes and even worked at a cannery, where she gutted and took the slime off salmon. They fired her after she complained about unhealthy conditions, according to The Grindstone.

Chasing That Cutie On Campus

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When Hillary was a student at Yale Law School, she kept seeing her future husband Bill around the library and in class. Because there was no Tinder or social media stalking to bring them together, she had to walk up to him and say, "Look, if we’re going to spend all this time staring at each other, we should at least get to know who the other is."

Being A Lowly Intern

Everyone has to start somewhere, and so did Hillz. In 1970, she interned with civil rights lawyer Marian Wright Edelman, according to CNN. So even if you're going on coffee runs and organizing the filing system, you might gain something important from it.

Freaking Out About The Future

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When she graduated, Clinton wasn't set on a career path. She was in love with Bill but thought she might have to choose between a husband and a career. She said she was "utterly confused about my life." We can all relate to that.

Stressing About The Boyfriend's Mother

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In the same way your significant other's mom eyed your hemline or brought up how pretty the ex-girlfriend was, Hillary wasn't what Bill's mother Virginia had in mind for who should settle down with her son, according to Barbara Olson's biography, Hell to Pay: The Unfolding Story of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Though Bill wanted his wife to be a partner in politics, his mother wanted him to have a good wife. She didn't like the idea of Hillary trying to take him from Arkansas and even cried when she found out that her future daughter-in-law wouldn't be taking the Clinton last name.

Getting Inspired By Political Figures

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It first became clear that Hillary would go into politics when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. She was frustrated with the violence and began to speak out, according to All That Is Interesting. If you're reading this, you probably have at least a passing interest in politics and current events, and now, Hillary is inspiring today's 20-somethings, just like how she was by King.

Being An Inspiration Yourself

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Although probably in different ways, you are an inspiration just like Hillary was. So go forth! Be a president or a lawyer or an icon to women everywhere.

Images: Getty Images (7)