newsobserver.com projects - Obama's first ad in N.C. - Comments

Gender and image: The politics of professionalism

captsfufp — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:49:21 -0400

I'm sure you're joking, if for no other reason than Sen. Clinton doesn't have the hair for a ponytail! :) And, of course, very few women her age and older would be caught dead in a ponytail. Also not sure Home Depot is the epitome of how candidates should appear "relaxed" (...I mean, the orange tone alone doesn't work well on camera...)

But I think that's a "gender issue" we can't/don't want to talk about. Race is a charged issue to be sure, but it gets talked about, for good or for ill. Gender on the other hand is subtle, and images like this are just one small example of what it means.

Will there ever be a call for a "gender speech" from the candidates and a discussion about the issues of sex discrimination in this country? Most likely not, b/c misogyny is part of the culture. And I'm not preaching the Feminist perspective...again, it's the subtle things, the little things that belie this. For instance, how much coverage was there when Sen. McCain was faced with a supporter calling Sen. Clinton the b-word? A little, but no one decried the issues of sex in politics. Let's substitute another word and have it be about race, and Sen. McCain would have been dogged with that issue for a month or more. But Sen. Clinton has been called that before, so it's all right, huh? It's part and parcel of being a women and a political leader, this is what our culture tells us.

Women have to be more professional and better than their male counterparts ALWAYS just to be on the same "level" as men. So while other male candidates can lay back, roll up their sleeves, and play with the good ol' boys...not the same with women.

I think it would be good to interview female NC elected officials and candidates about the issue of images and how to campaign against male opponents who can do such things. Maybe I'm out in left field about all this, but I would love to hear how Bev Perdue, Kay Hagan, Elaine Marshall, Beth Woods, etc. etc. deal with all these issues.

Re: Obama's first ad in N.C.

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:10:52 -0400

That's the ad as it ran in Tennessee. I pulled it from Obama's Web site when his staffer gave the name of the ad in the conference call.

Also, there is an equivalent to rolling up the sleeves: Putting your hair in a ponytail. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and look for the women doing house projects.

Whether a politician would do the same, I dunno.

— RTB

Re: Obama's first ad in N.C.

captsfufp — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:01:59 -0400

Heh, given the Feb. 5th date at the end, I guess that wasn't directed specifically at NC!! :)

Though I swear that's the first time I've seen Sen. Obama not wearing a suit, with his sleeves rolled up (a la Howard Dean...or I suppose any candidate). And I just thought of this: There's not really a female equivalent of that, is there? "Rolling up the sleeves" doesn't really work for Sen. Clinton. I'll have to start paying more attention to whether she's "allowed" to have a more casual look. By "allowed," I mean does our culture allow a female presidential candidate to have an informal look, or must she always look the consummate professional in order to be taken seriously?

Re: Obama's first ad in N.C.

jerimee — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:24:49 -0400

Maybe I don't know what you mean by "aired in North Carolina" but both camps have had TV ads up on CNN months ago. Are you not counting cable or something?

Obama's first ad in N.C.

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:16:26 -0400

The first TV ad to be aired in North Carolina by the Barack Obama campaign is titled "Enough."