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Women’s History Month: Pick your seatmate

Bridgette OConnor

In honor of Women’s History Month, let’s do a quick (and slightly nerdy) thought experiment:

If you could be seated next to any woman from world history—living or deceased—on a long flight, who would you pick?

Would you pick:

-Marie Antoinette

-Catherine Parr

-Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna (Romanov)

-Eleanor Roosevelt

—or someone else entirely?

What would you hope to ask her? What perspective might she offer on power, leadership, revolution, reform, or public life?

Drop your pick—and a quick why.

  •   These are all worthy choices!  I might go with Rachel Carson. I would just love to hear her thoughts regarding the impact of her Silent Spring book. I would imagine that her perspective on leadership, reform, and being a public figure during the Cold War would be fascinating. 

  • For many years, I have always said I would love to sit down and have a beer with Madeleine Albright, due to her groundbreaking work as our first female Secretary of State (and personal story that led up to that).  Dinner with Michelle Obama would be pretty cool, too.  Thanks for asking,  

  • in reply to Carrie Emmerson

    Love all these answers and thanks for sharing  and ! Keep them coming!

  •  From the past, I would choose Rosalind Franklin. I would ask her how she resisted sexism in a male-dominated scientific community and what she would recommend young girls do to gain authority and credibility in the field of science. From the present, I would choose Jacinda Ardern, and I would ask her how compassionate leadership can be spread among political leaders.

  • in reply to Laura Massa

    Love your selections,  ! I lived in NZ when Jacinda was PM, and I definitely miss her. We could use some level-headed women as heads of state right now.

  • From your list, I would definitely want to sit next to Marie Antoinette! If it's a long flight, I have a feeling she's flying first class - and that's exactly where I would want to be!

    I would also just love to hear her perspective, and better understand the woman many people have assigned a narrative to. 

  • in reply to Allyson Eubanks

    I agree on all those points,  ! Would definitely want to be in first class with Marie Antoinette. I would have so many questions to ask her, especially since my graduate work revolved around women's history in eighteenth-century France. Whilst there were elements of her reign that were problematic, she most certainly wasn't the villain that the French press/pamphleteers made her out to be.

  • I'm going to have to go with Empress Theodora from the Byzantine Empire. I bet she's got some stories to tell!

  • I’m choosing Empress Elisabeth "Sisi" of Austria especially as I prepare for a trip to Austria and after watching The Empress on Netflix. I’m fascinated by the "People’s Empress" and her modern-day struggle for autonomy within the rigid Habsburg court.

    I’d ask her about the 1867 Compromise and her deep bond with the Hungarian people. While the court saw her as a rebel, the public saw her as a savior. I want to understand her perspective on being a political influencer who simultaneously fought to escape the very crown she wore. Her insight on balancing a private identity with an overwhelming public life would be incredibly relevant today.