So since I can't get any politically diverse group of people to discuss this anywhere else, I leave it here for anyone who happens past my blog to ponder:
Sarah Palin, 44, has been referred to as beautiful, pretty, a hottie and other, cruder, 
compliments referring to her sexual attractiveness. Yet if she were an actress in Hollywood, she would be considered old and past her usefulness. Or she would have a plastic surgeon on her payroll.
compliments referring to her sexual attractiveness. Yet if she were an actress in Hollywood, she would be considered old and past her usefulness. Or she would have a plastic surgeon on her payroll.Wh
y is it that a woman can be considered attractive at 44 in one setting, but not in another? Why must every actress on television and in film, and every clothing model, be forever held to a standard of beauty that glorifies youth, impossible perfection, and extreme thinness?
y is it that a woman can be considered attractive at 44 in one setting, but not in another? Why must every actress on television and in film, and every clothing model, be forever held to a standard of beauty that glorifies youth, impossible perfection, and extreme thinness? For that matter, why is such a big deal made over what the candidates' wives look like?
Ba
rbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush, all intelligent, accomplished women, were criticized for how they looked, and were forced to retain stylists. Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama are both beautiful women, but that doesn't affect their husbands' effectiveness as politicians.
rbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush, all intelligent, accomplished women, were criticized for how they looked, and were forced to retain stylists. Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama are both beautiful women, but that doesn't affect their husbands' effectiveness as politicians. Beauty does not make an actress good; in fact, in Hollywood, the assumption is that beautiful women are not good actors. (ie: "She doesn't have to act, looking like that!")
Most critically, what kind of message do we give our daughters?
1 comment:
What a good point! We hear nothing about how Joe Biden is better than Donald Trump in manipulating his thinning hair. Or that John McCain should lay off the cheeseburgers.
And it's clear to me that the Democrats do have a stylist. The men who spoke before Obama's acceptance speech all wore silver blue ties, navy suits and crisp, white shirts. Obama and Biden wore contrasting striped ties, red and blue respectively. And yet no one mentioned how dapper they looked.
The superficiality of appearance is a real problem for women of all ages and for no one more than young girls. Thank heavens for the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. And the summer Olympics. What a great place to see beautiful people of all colors, shapes and sizes. OK, they were far more fit than the average person, but what stunning variety. And all far more concerned about performance and teamwork than appearance.
There may be hope out there yet.
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