It’s January 29 so today we are honoring two women named Lilly. The first, Lilly Ledbetter, a brave woman who fought against pay discrimination so that all women would have a better chance at earning a fair salary. Jan. 29 is the anniversary of President Obama signing the Lily Ledbetter Act into law. Thank you Ms. Ledbetter. We know your work is not finished. So ladies, please take a moment and send a message to your Senators telling them to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. Despite all of Lilly Ledbetter’s hard work, the wage gap has widened. Women earn, on average just .77 cents for every dollar a man earns. Women of color earn even less.
January 29 also means it’s cold here in New England. There is snow on the ground, the temperature is 18 degrees F, and the wind is gusting to 28 mph. It’s the kind of day that makes us long for summer on Cape Cod. And it’s impossible to think about the Cape without thinking about the unofficial Cape Cod uniform – a Lilly Pulitzer dress.
Lilly Pultizer was a New York Socialite who moved to Palm Beach with her husband in the 1950s. Although she never had to work a day in her life, she was unhappy doing nothing and so she opened a juice bar on the tony Worth Avenue. She designed her own cotton shift dress to wear to work and soon customers started ordering more dresses than juice from her. “The Lilly” was born.
So today, let’s also pay tribute to Lilly Pulitzer, a business woman who lived life according to her own rules, and who dressed to please herself and no one else. Ms. Pulitzer does not need us to sign any petitions, but feel free to check out her 2010 summer collection here.
Hooray for the Lillys! 
