Is It Sexism?

    What has been the ugliest lesson of the current campaign? That it remains nearly impossible for a woman to run for president or vice president. Is it sexism? Not exactly. Certainly the voting public claim they are not sexist. Don’t most polls show that over 90% of Americans say they would be ready to elect a woman of their party president?

     Rather the barrier is how the press filters and distorts a woman’s candidacy making her far more vulnerable than any man to appraisal and criticism on so many levels.  This time around, we saw what I would call this rampant “pressexism” first with Hillary’s campaign , and have seen it relentlessly aimed at Sarah Palin.

     “Pressexism”--and I’ll define it --is an inordinate focus on a female candidate’s looks, her family life, the way she speaks, her emotional make-up, and, yes, her clothes. In this telegenic age if a female candidate is unattractive it’s a very big problem. But, interestingly enough, if a candidate is very attractive it turns out to be just as big a problem. It becomes the easiest way not to take her seriously.

     What also seems to happen when the press has a woman in their view-finder , they tend to completely ignore the personality, the background, the style of the male candidates in the same election. All the juicy little details about the guys are just ignored. Didn’t that happen when Hillary was competing with Obama? Without Palin to concentrate on wouldn’t there have been far more commentary on Obama’s somewhat chilly personality. Certainly his languid haughtiness would have been noticed and mentioned, possibly relentlessly. When Bush was competing with Gore, wasn’t Gore given a constant personality analysis by the press.

    Whether or not it is important, there might have also been a lot more in-depth examination of Obama’s exotic background. And without Palin to criticize wouldn’t there have been more media shock and dismay over Biden’s frequent foot-in-the -mouth really dumb goofs. Looking back to last fall and winter, while Obama was praised for his ideas, didn’t Hillary get a lot more press battering for her wonk-ish personality, her coolness, and her hectoring style of speech than for any of her policies.

    Part of the reason for the new “pressexism” is, of course, the nature of media today. For the past decade and a half the press has been focused on entertaining human-interest stories. With so many hours to fill, the 24/7 news cycle needs to devote lots of time to the softer side. A woman candidate, just because she is a woman, from her Naughty Monkey heels up, supplies more possibilities. Let’s face it, most journalist can’t really analyze the ramifications of either candidate’s health plan. They don’t really know what to do about Iran either. But every blogger or commentator can make an easy joke about Palin’s rimless specs.

     To be honest, Hillary with her well-publicized marital ups-and-downs and her attention-seeking spouse, and Sarah with her special needs baby and a pregnant teenage daughter, are women whose personal lives one wants to talk about around the water cooler. So maybe that’s been part of the problem, too. The women who reach high are often complex. But the media seems to always concentrate on their vulnerabilities rather than acknowledging their strengths or capabilities. We still don’t know the outcome of the election yet but one can wonder how a woman can ever succeed in breaking through that highest of glass ceilings in the midst of this “pressexism.” I think an American Margaret Thatcher type, attractive but not too attractive, with a bland personal life, and very strong policy ideas might be a possibility. If she exists. And if there is no one who could imitate her for big laughs on Saturday Night Live.

Comments

[johndamion]

Sarah might surprise us all.
I've yet to see her back down from any challenge. She is fearless and an outstanding politician. And truly "one of us." It's all about leadership and trust. And "likability."

[johndamion]

Sarah might surprise us all.
I've yet to see her back down from any challenge. She is fearless and an outstanding politician. And truly "one of us." It's all about leadership and trust. And "likability."