Puzzled visitor
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Posted by Ammu Joseph July 20th, 2007 |
I’ve been in New York over the last couple of weeks and have therefore been following US election coverage rather more than I would back home in India. Here are a few thoughts on some of the gender-related coverage I’ve seen this week.
If Robin Givhan, who wrote the piece on Hillary Clinton’s cleavage in The Washington Post today, was startled “to see that small acknowledgment of sexuality and femininity peeking out of the conservative — aesthetically speaking — environment of Congress” I was even more startled that the topic was covered at all (albeit under fashion).
I am also puzzled about the way Esquire chose to highlight its coverage of John Edwards’ candidacy: “Can a white man still be elected president?” Strangely but happily, that somewhat provocative, backlash-ish question has little to do with the two articles in the magazine.
In fact, one of them (“The Beauty Contest” by Charles P. Pierce) critiques the political/media “discourse” about Edwards’ hair and forcefully argues that “toughness is a semiotic dumb show now” that “courage and manliness had gone completely postmodern.” As a visitor I found the analysis interesting and enlightening.
The report in The New York Times today about the latest NYT/CBS News poll and what it reveals about Hillary Clinton’s current acceptability is interesting although, from the outside, it’s still quite amazing that a candidate’s sex is still an issue for quite a few US citizens, including women. Nevertheless it’s good to see the differences of opinion among various categories of women and reassuring to gather that many of the reasons cited for opinions held by both women and men seem to be based on their reading of her politics rather than the fact that she is female.
July 20th, 2007 12:31
Ammu, It’s always refreshing to see the visitor’s reaction to America’s frivolous political coverage. I will just comment on one of your points, that about Ghivan’s piece this morning on Hilary’s cleavage. Hilary’s cleavage, of course, has nothing to do with her ideas about the war or so many other things we will care about as voters. But maybe Ghivan, like me, is wondering why women’s cleavage suddenly seems to be all over the place, in the most unexpected places. All females in serious character roles in TV these days are showing more and more cleavage. Are we to believe that women prosecutors, forensic experts, and police officers really dress that way? If female political leaders are now following the trend of pop culture, is it just a matter of time till the rest of us are also to do so? And what about those of us who aren’t, well . . . svelte?
July 23rd, 2007 14:17
[…] Even international writers like visiting Indian journalist Ammu Joseph got into the mix. Joseph, who saw Givhan’s article while visiting the United States, said she was “startled” to see the likes of it, even in a Style section. […]
July 25th, 2007 10:48
“Many of the reasons cited for opinions held by both women and men seem to be based on their reading of her politics rather than the fact that she is female.”
If that were true, I would be very happy. Unfortunately, it’s not. Our so-called mainstream media have an inordinate influence on the nomination process for Democrats as well as a deeply regressive misogynist script. So, in their eyes, John Edwards is gay because he gets $400 haircuts and Hillary Clinton (all evidence to the contrary) is a shrieking emasculatory harpy. Mr. Obama will probably be the nominee because even the MSM will find the idea of trying this sophomoric defamatory drivel on an intelligent black man a wee bit too intimidating.
Welcome to the land of liberty, ma’am, and our enlightened rulers!
July 31st, 2007 11:21
[…] (Aside from the hubbub over Hillary’s cleavage, ‘natch.) […]
January 29th, 2008 10:59
[…] With a woman as front runner for the Democratic nomination, gender has been a factor in media coverage from the beginning of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, with media regularly focusing on descriptions of her clothing, hair and makeup, her “cleavage” and her “cackle,” way before her “misty” almost-crying moment made headlines. The gender frame has gotten in the way of substantive coverage of Clinton’s record in office and what her legislative agenda would look like. […]