Yet another article points out that women in politics need to be just as concerned about their physical appearance as their political maneuvers. The regendered version is great -- check out this poignant quote:
The challenge for powerful men has always been how to find a balance in their look between masculine and forceful without the negative connotations that come with either of those characteristics, said Mark Anthony Marsh, a political analyst for Fox News.
What if male political figures were subjected to the same type of critiques their female colleagues constantly face? I've done some speculating below the fold...
"Can we lose the early-80s creepy camp counselor glasses, please? It looks like you still live in your mom's basement. And you better be asking for either a chin-tuck or a membership to 24 Hour Fitness this holiday season."
"Check out those brows! Forget, for the moment, getting the U.S. out of Iraq and let's concentrate on getting a good wax."
"Are you attempting to signal a move toward a more muted attitude, given your subdued gray tie?"
"This was cute when you were a boy in the 1960s. It doesn't translate to the halls of Congress." (I dig the vintage tie, though.)
"Whoa! Try spending a little less time in the tanning booth, dear. And is that your real hair?"
Any additional critiques of male politicians' fashion choices? Share them in comments.
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Can we lose the early-80s creepy camp counselor glasses, please?
Don't knock that style of glasses ... they really cover your face up nicely (and hence if they are UV blocking, really help those of us who are morbidly pale). I had to be dragged kicking and screaming out of that 1980s camp counselor look into the 21st century, to stop wearing glasses in that style and start wearing more stylish ones.
And BTW ... people do comment on promenant Dem politicians (Gore anyone? Kerry? I've even heard comments made about Obama) in this way. Some have mentioned that it is done deliberately by the GOP to "feminize" the Dems.
Oy vey. It's amazing how much sexism (and racism, btw) exists even as we are almost into the year 2007.
We lost a immense pool of Mr. Blackwellesque comments and photoshops when Jim Traficant finally left.. er.. was forced from the halls of Congress.
As for my current male Senator, he looks like an adult version of a Village of the Damned child who got his head stuck in a high-gravity field.
I actually agree with everything you said about Hastert. I know that misses the point, but after his role in sheltering Foley, there is something distinctly creepy camp counselory about him.
Related to fashion in politics, I have to say that I'm a little embarrassed that my dad really likes the line of Rush Limbaugh ties. Blech.
Forgive my relative political-face-recognition ignorance, but the fourth guy down really looks like Farva from Supertroopers.
Pickleberry:
I thought he looked a touch like Brian Dennehy.
Hastert looks like his head is filling with blood like a balloon, and is about to pop. Observe how tight his collar looks, and the colour of his face.
Stephen Harper looked HORRIBLE in the outfit everyone was wearing at the Asian Conference in Vietnam, and he was mocked all over the place about it. It was even brought in the House of Commons, and laughed off by Mr. Harper.
There was also a picture of him a few years back looking uncomfortable in a cowboy outfit, and his predecessor, Stockwell Day, was pictured in a wetsuit. I've also heard comments on many male politicians in regular outfits up here as well.
The article, though... there's token mentions of how Americans need to learn to look past clothing on women, but aren't they perpetuating the obsession with articles like that? Wouldn't it have been better to write an article dealing the hypocrisy and how attitudes like that lead to people perceiving women as incapable of being leaders?
The Brian Dennehy / Walter Sobchak guy is actually the new Democratic Senator from Montana, ?? Tester.
And did my brilliant Cornyn comment get eaten? Reparations!
So funny, Ann! Thanks for that.
Mary B- a Rush Limbaugh line of ties?! I finally know what to get the Republicans in my life for Christmas.
isfa:
Google it sometime. They're so tacky, not typically conservative at all. All they need to do is add a bunch of blinky lights to finish off the look.
Ah the Professional Beauty Qualification. I look forward to the day when high-profile female politicians like Belinda Stronach and Rona Ambrose are graded more according to their policy positions than their hairstyles/colours and other appearance features.
The Harper-in-a-cowboy-suit was funny though. It just looked incredibly awkward for him. The Liberals had a field month with it.
So THAT's what Tester looks like.
Does it look to anyone else that maybe Dubya had some plastic surgery? Perhaps a little eye lift?
Actually, I think fashion should play a role in politics: what you wear generally has some bearing on who you are-even if the only thing you can change is the color of your tie. Dressing professionally is important in all professions because it shows that you care about your job.
The problem is, that when men do something stupid with their wardrobe (like Tester's yellow suit), we assume (probably correctly) that it was his advisers that picked out the suit. On the other hand, we also assume that women politicians pick out their own clothes. Because we all know that the Speaker of the House (to be) has so much time on her hands.
I usually don't overanalyze it like that. For me it's enough to crack jokes about how certain politicians are so ugly they should never see the light of day. I mean, have you seen Tony Blair, who looks more and more like a ferret each year?
I've mainly noticed the fact that George Bush looks and laughs like a monkey. He acts like one too, come to think of it.
The problem is, that when men do something stupid with their wardrobe (like Tester's yellow suit), we assume (probably correctly) that it was his advisers that picked out the suit.
I didn't assume his advisors picked the suit out. I assumed that The Man With The Yellow Hat lost his hat, and didn't age well. We even have a not-so-Curious George.
I remember some comments about Al Gore and earthtones in 2000, so maybe things are getting better. Or maybe 9/11 subtly set feminism back a few loops by injecting a fresh dose of protectionist machismo into the culture, because I don't remember seeing much like that in '04. A lot about candidates' looks. Not so much about how they dress.
Trent Lott, who is (unfortunately) my senator, needs to set his hair free in the woods somewhere and find a more appealing woodland creature to stick on his head. Haley Barbour is actually on a diet, as he wants to pull a Mike Huckabee--lost 18 pounds so far--which might get rid of some of the Boss Hogg je ne sais quoi, but somehow I doubt it.
I never did get the deal with Jon Tester's hair.
Cheers,
TH
It fit under his yellow hat more easily that way, Tom.
Good to see you posting! It feels like it's been a little while.
Yeah, 9/11 (and the politics that followed it) sort of screwed all the things that really matter. I'm really not afraid of terrorism, and I wouldn't be if I lived in Manhattan, but I'm terrified of our president, who never would have been reelected in 2004 without the attacks. Great, now I'm thinking like a conspiracy theorist.
I googled the Limbaugh ties and found this: http://www.tieguys.com/cgi-local/search.cgi?query=limbaugh. The first one kind of looks like it has pot leafs on it!
Oops. Try it without the "." at the end.
http://www.tieguys.com/cgi-local/search.cgi?query=limbaugh