BEAUTY in TRUTH ; ... f course looks matter, in politics as in business. In America and other countries, physically attractive candidates — male and female — outperform less attractive peers. But for female politicians, the issue of looks is more complicated. They must learn to navigate the treacherous line between looking good (a plus) and looking sexy (dangerous), being attractive without being distracting.
A female politician is, inevitably, going to devote more attention to her appearance than is her male counterpart. Inevitably, because voters — female and male — are going to pay more attention to her clothes, or whether she’s gained (or lost) a few pounds, or whether she is, in Obama’s words, “the best-looking attorney general in the country.” Harris no doubt took pains with her hair and makeup before heading to the fundraiser where the president made those remarks.
But it is simultaneously true that the role of attractiveness, especially when it comes to women in politics, remains the phenomenon that dare not speak its name. Obama’s real fault wasn’t being sexist — it was committing political malpractice. This wasn’t a gaffe on the scale of Hillary Clinton being likable enough, but it was still awfully dumb. You can think it, but you can’t say it, especially when you are the president.
Read more from Ruth Marcus’s archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.
BEAUTY in TRUTH ; ... f course looks matter, in politics as in business. In America and other countries, physically attractive candidates — male and female — outperform less attractive peers. But for female politicians, the issue of looks is more complicated. They must learn to navigate the treacherous line between looking good (a plus) and looking sexy (dangerous), being attractive without being distracting.
A female politician is, inevitably, going to devote more attention to her appearance than is her male counterpart. Inevitably, because voters — female and male — are going to pay more attention to her clothes, or whether she’s gained (or lost) a few pounds, or whether she is, in Obama’s words, “the best-looking attorney general in the country.” Harris no doubt took pains with her hair and makeup before heading to the fundraiser where the president made those remarks.
But it is simultaneously true that the role of attractiveness, especially when it comes to women in politics, remains the phenomenon that dare not speak its name. Obama’s real fault wasn’t being sexist — it was committing political malpractice. This wasn’t a gaffe on the scale of Hillary Clinton being likable enough, but it was still awfully dumb. You can think it, but you can’t say it, especially when you are the president.
Read more from Ruth Marcus’s archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook. Ruth Marcus: An act of political malpractice http://wapo.st/16Gs4sT via @washingtonpost
BEAUTY in TRUTH ; ... f course looks matter, in politics as in business. In America and other countries, physically attractive candidates — male and female — outperform less attractive peers. But for female politicians, the issue of looks is more complicated. They must learn to navigate the treacherous line between looking good (a plus) and looking sexy (dangerous), being attractive without being distracting.
ReplyDeleteA female politician is, inevitably, going to devote more attention to her appearance than is her male counterpart. Inevitably, because voters — female and male — are going to pay more attention to her clothes, or whether she’s gained (or lost) a few pounds, or whether she is, in Obama’s words, “the best-looking attorney general in the country.” Harris no doubt took pains with her hair and makeup before heading to the fundraiser where the president made those remarks.
But it is simultaneously true that the role of attractiveness, especially when it comes to women in politics, remains the phenomenon that dare not speak its name. Obama’s real fault wasn’t being sexist — it was committing political malpractice. This wasn’t a gaffe on the scale of Hillary Clinton being likable enough, but it was still awfully dumb. You can think it, but you can’t say it, especially when you are the president.
Read more from Ruth Marcus’s archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.
BEAUTY in TRUTH ; ... f course looks matter, in politics as in business. In America and other countries, physically attractive candidates — male and female — outperform less attractive peers. But for female politicians, the issue of looks is more complicated. They must learn to navigate the treacherous line between looking good (a plus) and looking sexy (dangerous), being attractive without being distracting.
ReplyDeleteA female politician is, inevitably, going to devote more attention to her appearance than is her male counterpart. Inevitably, because voters — female and male — are going to pay more attention to her clothes, or whether she’s gained (or lost) a few pounds, or whether she is, in Obama’s words, “the best-looking attorney general in the country.” Harris no doubt took pains with her hair and makeup before heading to the fundraiser where the president made those remarks.
But it is simultaneously true that the role of attractiveness, especially when it comes to women in politics, remains the phenomenon that dare not speak its name. Obama’s real fault wasn’t being sexist — it was committing political malpractice. This wasn’t a gaffe on the scale of Hillary Clinton being likable enough, but it was still awfully dumb. You can think it, but you can’t say it, especially when you are the president.
Read more from Ruth Marcus’s archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.
Ruth Marcus: An act of political malpractice http://wapo.st/16Gs4sT via @washingtonpost