--- title: Carly Fiorina: Here's How Carly Fiorina Wants to Redefine Feminism description: Carly Fiorina speaks directly about feminism and her unique perspective on issues as a female presidential candidate. canonical: https://time.com/3918014/carly-fiorina-feminism/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-11T18:22:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:43:36.002Z article:section: Politics og:title: Here's How Carly Fiorina Wants to Redefine Feminism og:description: She argues conservatives should take back the word. og:url: https://time.com/3918014/carly-fiorina-feminism/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a4fcefeb39b4c98/6988524be20a8710aaa8b9a2/carly-fiorina2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3720 og:image:height: 2093 og:image:alt: Republican presidential candidate, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is seen at a luncheon hosted by the Derry Republican Town Committee on May 26, 2015, in Derry,NH. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's How Carly Fiorina Wants to Redefine Feminism twitter:description: She argues conservatives should take back the word. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a4fcefeb39b4c98/6988524be20a8710aaa8b9a2/carly-fiorina2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's How Carly Fiorina Wants to Redefine Feminism > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=0250964e-e827-43d5-baa5-675c9e72c4bf&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Jun 11, 2015 6:22 PM UTC  Republican presidential candidate, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is seen at a luncheon hosted by the Derry Republican Town Committee on May 26, 2015, in Derry,NH. Republican presidential candidate, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is seen at a luncheon hosted by the Derry Republican Town Committee on May 26, 2015, in Derry,NH. Jim Cole—AP  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Jun 11, 2015 6:22 PM UTC Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina isn’t afraid to use the f-word: feminism. At an event in Washington, D.C., Thursday evening, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO will argue that conservatives should embrace a term that some shy away from, according to her prepared remarks. “Feminism began as a rallying cry to empower women,” she will say at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. “But over the years, feminism has devolved into a left-leaning political ideology where women are pitted against men and used as a political weapon to win elections.” Instead, she offered her own definition: “A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses. … A woman may choose to have five children and home-school them. She may choose to become a CEO, or run for President.” **Read More:** [_Carly Fiorina’s Tireless Drive_](http://time.com/3917713/the-tireless-drive-thats-earning-carly-fiorina-a-second-look/) As the only woman in the Republican field, Fiorina has talked about sexism on the campaign trail, criticizing a reporter who commented on her pink nail polish, pushing back on reporters who ask [if she’s running for vice president](http://time.com/3845983/carly-fiorina-vice-president/) and lamenting the time years ago that her male business colleagues held a meeting in a strip club. Her comments are hardly controversial, but they set her apart from some of her male competitors. In [a 2005 book written with his wife](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/us/politics/santorum-faces-questions-on-women-in-work-force.html?%5Fr=0), former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum blamed “radical feminism” for”undermining the traditional family,” while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee [mocked activists](http://www.buzzfeed.com/ilanbenmeir/huckabee-befuddled-by-topless-women#.yaEk4DNBxn) who argue women should be allowed to be topless in public. In the speech, Fiorina will also call for making birth control available without a prescription, supporting women-owned businesses and reforming safety net programs so that women can go back to work without losing benefits. In a conference call with reporters Thursday afternoon, Fiorina said the speech would be the “first major” one by a Republican or Democratic candidate on the state of women in the U.S. “I’m pleased to be able to begin the conversation. I hope it is the beginning of a conversation, not the end of one,” she said. “And I do think that I’m in a unique position to have this conversation because of the experiences that I’ve had in my life.” “If we’re going to move forward with some of these programs we need to be very judicial, very careful not to overreach, so women are helped, not harmed,” she said. ### See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential  Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Bernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters  Rand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images  Rick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas. David J. Phillip—AP  Bobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Martin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—AP  Marco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014. Melissa Golden—Redux  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Jim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012. Steve Helber—AP  John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—AP  Rick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis  Scott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—AP  Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Lincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race. Alex Wong—Getty Images  George Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo. 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