Gloria Steinem had a beautiful op-ed in the NYT? yesterday and I could not agree with her more.
She talks about the polarization of gender roles, how we treat women fundamentally different from men and how we hold Hillary Clinton to different standards from Barack Obama.
Unlike Gloria Steinem, I am not writing this because I support Hillary. But one of the things I have noticed as I follow the Presidential race is the unspoken sentiment that ?Hillary can do no right?.
If Hillary is now criticized for choking up a little; in the past she has been criticized for laughing. If she cries, she is ?emotional? and not the stuff that Presidents are made of; if she laughs, she is hysterical and the laughter is maniacal. Oh,? and both her laughter and her tears are part of carefully planned strategies.? She is not a normal human being, she does not have any feelings, so any emotions that do show have to be artificial.
Tom Toles in today’s Washington Post
If Hillary comes across as strong-willed, she is labeled various epithets. If she shows the slightest hint of emotion, she is weak, vulnerable, emotional and unfit to become President. If she tries hard every day not to show any emotion whatsoever, she is cold, calculating and ruthless.
Newspapers print long, detailed analyses when Hillary wears a blouse with a neckline perhaps an inch lower than usual. There are other voices which say that her usual attire these days, a pantsuit, is unfeminine.
Her hairstyle changes are analyzed in detail, her wrinkles are examined closely. If she looks tired one day, it becomes the stuff of radio talk show hosts and newspaper headlines. Apparently, only supermodels can become President.
In a presidential race, one would think people would look at the issues and pick the candidate they agree with. Why does this have to be a Miss Congeniality contest? The President, by definition, should not be someone who will do anything to remain popular. Presidents are supposed to take hard decisions that could be unpopular.
And why do we reserve our most detailed personal analysis for Hillary? Why don?t the other presidential candidates get comments about their gray hair, whether their shoes are shined and their clothes are pressed, and how ugly their ties are?
Why is it that people see fit to show placards to Hillary saying ?Iron my Shirt? ?
Are we looking for reasons not to elect a woman as President? Is that what this is all about?
If Hillary is doing it all wrong, what is it that she is supposed to do?? If we were to elect a woman as President, what kind of woman President should we elect?? Perhaps it would help if someone stepped forward to enumerate the qualities they would really like to see in a woman President.
I am not here to voice my support of Hillary, Obama or any of the other candidates. I hope the best person wins. But I wish people would make their decisions based on the candidates? stand on issues, and not based on whether they like their hairstyle or their shoes.
As a woman, I see the way Hillary is treated by the media and only wonder if it is not symptomatic of the way we treat women in everyday life. What does it say about us that we cannot bring ourselves to treat even a woman Presidential candidate with courtesy and dignity?
Technorati tags: Hillary Clinton, Presidential election, politics, campaign, women, crying
Tabula Rasa
Dave
LedLennon
Rishi S.
I think that if you step back just a pace or two on this discussion you might be able to see that though commentary is not always as shrill as it is towards Hillary the other candidates are all being treated this way. The coverage is shallow and seems directed towards gossip and innuendo no matter who they’re covering. Edwards hair/looks/wealth/job, and Romney’s smooth looks/expensive clothes, it all is going on ad hominem.
I, too, have yet to decide but I really am enjoying the turn outs and the interest and the time we have to really nail the eventual candidates down as to what he or she is going to do about the issues.
Does the “we” in your post above mean that you were speaking for men as a man or were you speaking editorially and thus recognizing that it isn’t just one sex with an atttitude towards the other that are behaving this way?
The American people are a very intellectual lot. Only lesser third world nations like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and a fifth world nation like Bangladesh have the cerebral shallowness to elect women premiers. What these countries don’t realize is that a woman can never be the equal of a man. She has way more maturity and strength than is required for the job of the President of the USA, and is thus grossly over-qualified.
Well, if you were to believe The West Wing, everything IS part of a carefully thought-out strategy. And should be. In any case, this election is going to be a good thing by the virtue of just being held – anyone would be an improvement over Bush, I thunk!
But I wish people would make their decisions based on the candidates? stand on issues, and not based on whether they like their hairstyle or their shoes.
… or whether they appear boring or that they sigh? welcome to america.
Apparently, only supermodels can become President..not really – because then she would be called a bimbo not fit to rule the home.. basically all hillary needs is a gender swap
Sex swap you mean. Sex is biological, gender is socially constructed.
In every election, every American Presidential candidate (and his wife) has been similarly scrutinised. Hillary is just another name, though with a more dangerous agenda of bringing in more intrusive Government.
What does it say about us that we cannot bring ourselves to treat even a woman Presidential candidate with courtesy and dignity?
Why should a woman have these privileges if men and women are to be considered equal? A woman who is troubled by a lack of courtesy and dignity is not good presidential material. Of course, this is not the case with Hillary.
As a woman, I see the way Hillary is treated by the media and only wonder if it is not symptomatic of the way we treat women in everyday life.
As a woman you should try to understand the reasons why most women CAN be treated that way. It is because most women ARE weak, physically and/or emotionally. The only real way to women empowerment is by women actually becoming strong both physically and emotionally.
If Hillary is doing it all wrong, what is it that she is supposed to do?? If we were to elect a woman as President, what kind of woman President should we elect?? Perhaps it would help if someone stepped forward to enumerate the qualities they would really like to see in a woman President.
A “woman” president meaning a person whose gender is woman no matter what her/his biological sex is a rarity. (I contend that Barack is a “woman” president and I mean it in a good way.) I think what you meant is a female president. And for a female candidate there’s no need for a new list if she wants to be a typical American president. Just do what “man” candidates do. That’s all she can do. To convince people that sex and gender are two different things and that there can be female “men” (like Hillary) and male “women” (like Barack), that’s the job of Feminist Intelligentsia.
Are we looking for reasons not to elect a woman as President? Is that what this is all about?
Most people were looking for reasons not to elect a *female* as a president. They have actually chosen a “woman” president for a change after electing a neanderthal twice in a row.
Why is it that people see fit to show placards to Hillary saying ?Iron my Shirt? ?
Because that’s what most women do.
The President, by definition, should not be someone who will do anything to remain popular. Presidents are supposed to take hard decisions that could be unpopular.
So that’s Hillary’s job to prove that she does not yield to unreasonable demands. I *will* ask her to iron my shirt if she wants my vote, she’s the one who should have the courage to tell me that she’ll rather not have my vote or better convince me that I am speaking nonsense.
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The main reason Hillary was being more scrutinized than other candidates is because she was the first female so close to a democratic presidential nomination. Everything NEW is scrutinized in more detail and for valid reasons. Maybe if she is capitalizing on her cleavage (like Sarah Palin did on her Beauty Queen appearance) there’s no real substance to her.