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We talk all the time about whether we should emphasize our leader's sex - or not, in order to enforce a level playing. This article proves that (maybe) it's possible that our politicians can be rated based solely on their accomplishments or lack there of, versus on their outer appearances - especially when it comes to women. I appreciate that this NYT reporter was able to write a piece that avoided gender biases, more than most other articles we've read about the Speaker.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The Age of Nancy
I'm not posting this article to start a partisan discussion on Speaker Pelosi's merits, but I am posting it because it was interesting to find an article that doesn't mention her sex as it relates to her successes/failures in her post. Aside from the quote about heels and blow-dried hair, there are only two words that the writer uses that identify the Speaker as a female: "Grandmother" and "woman."
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2 comments:
I agree that it is nice to read an article about a female politician that is not solely about her appearance. However, the conversations we have been having about appearances in class keep running through my head. So, here are a few thoughts that have come to me.
1.) Is it really such a big deal that everyone comments on a woman's appearance? I would be willing to bet a lot of money that women like Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton have spent a lot of time deciding what to wear and how to fix their hair. Honestly, I would not even be surprised if focus groups or surveys had not been held to determine which hair or clothing style was more appealing to voters. And I do not know about all of you but I try hard to look nice and professional when I go to work. Therefore, if we ourselves are going to put so much time and effort into our appearance than why are we surprised that people pay attention?
2.) Appearance is simply part of the package and for some can be a trademark. Appearance is often the first thing we notice about a person and it informs our opinions about someone. It is how we relate. Therefore it again makes sense that we focus so much on appearance. And yes, the media talks disproportionally about women's appearances but for the most part men all look the same and until we reach critical mass, women are still a novelty. A person's appearance also becomes a part of who they are. For example, it would be weird to see Donald Trump without his comb-over hairdo or Hillary Clinton in something other than a pantsuit.
3.) I think as women we should embrace our femininity, Why should we try to dress more like men? We need to strip men and the media of their power to dictate what we should wear and embrace the many options that we have. Instead of viewing having to change from work clothes to evening wear as a negative, view it as a positive. By embracing what makes us unique we empower ourselves.
Just a few thoughts...
I agree completely, Emmma.
It's a "lose-lose" situation. ("Moreover, female employees can be punished for being too attractive as well as not attractive enough." -Daily Beast Article) If we mention how a female leader dresses, we're accused of focusing more on her outer appearance than what she brings to the table. Yet if we don't comment on her appearance, we are accused of taking for granted the fact that she spent time/money to look professional.
After I posted the initial article about Pelosi, I found the below article about Kagan. (Since there is no date on it, I'm unsure when it was written - you all may have seen it and it may have already been posted/discussed in class.) But it is yet another example of how often we associate a female leader's merits with her looks (although this writer does note that some men receive the same scrutiny). The article states that our society is overly focused on "attractiveness" and maybe it's even "unrelated to performance." While we assume that the females are always receive the brunt of this criticism, perhaps the matter truly surpasses gender discrepancy and affects everyone...?
I know we've probably over-disucussed this issue, but I decided to add another article to the mix anyway!
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-06-26/elena-kagans-looks-and-why-they-matter/
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