Two years ago, in its March issue, Lifestyle recalled a famed marketing campaign from the 1970s. Four small black-and-white photo blocks above the main image told the story of a lady in 1913 who boarded a train in Boston, got the urge to smoke in New York City; lit up near Trenton, New Jersey; was caught outside of Wilmington, Delaware; and was kicked off the train near Baltimore.
Below those images stood a tall, confident dark-haired woman in a smart pink pants suit holding a slender cigarette next to the words, “You’ve come a long way, baby.” As a marketing slogan in a Virginia Slims print ad 50-some years ago, that line was viewed as a symbol of female empowerment.
And in many ways, yes, women have come a long way compared to the Virginia Slims lady who was booted off in Baltimore. That train has left the station.
But if you think the issues facing women today all have been addressed—and life is a nonstop golden age musical, like season one of Schmigadoon! on Apple TV—think again. Challenges from wage disparity and maternal health to gender-based violence and reproductive rights drive women in this country and around the globe to push for change.
It’s our ongoing honor to share stories in the pages of Lifestyle of women in South Florida raising awareness and advocating for such change on a variety of fronts. Women like our March cover subject, Montana Tucker (pictured above).
If you haven’t already seen the story of this singer, dancer and social media sensation—who’s paying it forward and honoring her grandparents’ journey by educating the next generation about the Holocaust—you’ll have an opportunity to read about it this coming Monday as part of our new and revamped newsletter, Lifestyle Insider.
In the meantime, to women of all ages in South Florida: We salute you.
