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It all started with Hillary. We had the discussions about someone that was running for high office could show cleavage, whether they should wear pants-suits, and even some discussion about what a ladylike sitting position is—and this was all before Gov. Sarah Palin even walked onstage.
Indeed, it was obvious to anyone paying attention that the bar was set a little differently for a female than for a male—and I’m not talking pay, I’m talking about a culture that continually objectifies the female sex, as does such a good job at masking it as making women feel good about themselves!
Personally, I’m not entirely sure that a woman should be the President of United States, but I’m certain that Gov. Palin isn’t going to make it easy (especially if she wins) for the next one to try.
Why? Because she is a good looking woman, and with all the fuss over how much the campaign spent on clothing her, the truth is that she looks a lot like I would expect a generation of people growing up with women that believe that they need a tummy tuck, a face lift, and implants in various parts of their bodies.
While it’s true that there are legitimate reasons for a lot of these procedures—skin grafts for those caught in fire, tummy tucks for those that have lost a bunch of weight, etc.—our current culture has glorified the look of the woman’s body while at the same time telling us that we should judge them as a man—based on intellect and accomplishment.
The problem is that we’re sending these mixed messages all the time, such that if you’re going to be on television you have to look good. I hope and pray that my daughter grows up to realize that it’s not the outside alone that makes one pretty, but it’s definitely the inside that counts.
