Posted on 01/28/2008 6:08:55 AM PST by seanmerc
From the color of her suit to her latest choice in hairstyle, Hillary Clinton and her appearance is a common topic of conversation, and according to political analysts, the female presidential candidate is scrutinized for her looks more so than her male counterparts.
"There's no doubt that [Clinton] is held to a different standard — the evaluation of appearance has always been traditionally different for female candidates," said Sarah Brewer, the associate director of the Women and Politics Institute at American University.
"It's really very sexist," Geraldine Ferraro, a former vice presidential candidate, told ABCNEWS.com. "Nobody is going to say they don't like how [Illinois Sen.] Barack Obama looks and nobody is going to say that about [former North Carolina Sen.] John Edwards."
Throughout the campaign season, Clinton's appearance has made headlines — particularly after an unflattering photo was featured on Matt Drudge's Drudge Report in December 2007 — zooming in on every line and wrinkle on the New York senator's face.
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh spoke about the photograph in December, posing the question that was on many people's minds: "Will Americans want to watch a woman get older before their eyes on a daily basis?"
"And that woman, by the way, is not going to want to look like she's getting older, because it will impact poll numbers," Limbaugh said. "It will impact perceptions."
While it's too soon to tell whether a droopy physical appearance will translate into drooping support at the polls, political gurus told ABCNEWS.com that gender bias is responsible for the media's willingness to openly discuss Clinton's Botox options while hardly mentioning Obama's worn-out appearance.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
ABCBBCCBSNBCFOX—anything, ANYTHING at all to keep from mentioning, let alone DISCUSS, what the Hildabeast might actually DO if she got elected.
God forbid.
Is she a smoker? I honestly can’t recall seeing skin that bad on a woman her age who didn’t smoke.
B-O-O-H-O-O-H-O-O
Just another diversion!!
That’s OK. We pick on Edwards about his hair, too.
Must have been cutting back on the Botox injections.
A perfumed pig is still a porker. See Hillary’s “earmarks” record.
Ha! Years ago, voters in the state of Washington elected Dixie Lee Ray, as Governor. She wasn’t much to look at but the state’s voters liked her ideas and elected her.
If she wants to run as a woman candidate she may be held to a different standard. Maybe if other candidates slathered on makeup to cover up their defects they would be held to the same standard. John Edwards has been criticized for his hairstyling costs. Do we know what Hillary's hair work costs? Has anyone in "the media" attempted to find out? Maybe we have a different standard for women.
An "unflattering" photograph of Hillary is still a photograph of Hillary. I seem to remember seeing unflattering photographs of other candidates.
No doubt about it. Hillary gets a pass on all past corrupt behavior because she cries.
The last thing Democrats want is a healthy, tall man like Romney standing next to their short fat old hag in the national debates...
It has nothing to do with Hillary’s looks, people are just starting to pay attention to what she is saying and how she is running her campaign and do not like what they see. Give him credit, Obama has succeeded in opening the eyes of voters to the real Hillary and the Clinton sleaze.
Is Hillary upset because she isn’t the candidate known as the Break girl??
Kennedy picked up points in the national election, according to the media pundits of the day, because he came off as a movie star against Nixon in the debates. Supposedly, people hearing it on radio said Nixon creamed him, those who saw it thought Kennedy won.
“Is she a smoker? I honestly can’t recall seeing skin that bad on a woman her age who didn’t smoke.”
One would think that Hillary smoking would have come out by now. I think the hag look is from bad genes, menopause and self-induced stress. When I saw that New Hampshire photo, my first reaction was “Good Lord, my 86 year old stepmother is less wrinkled than Hillary!” (It’s true, and my stepmother has a lot of wrinkles....)
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