Meghan McCain made an appearance on campus last Wednesday to speak about her personal political views, the state of politics today and her ideas for the future of the Republican Party. But I came away from her speech thinking about the double standard for women in politics.
It’s no secret that many AU students want to go on to become members of Congress or President of the United States. For female students, this would means joining the 17 women in the Senate or the 76 women in the House — in a Congress dominated by 432 men. Of course, no woman has ever been elected president.
It’s not only the gender gap that is disconcerting, but also the double standard for women in politics. This is the point that Meghan McCain made that really stuck with me: if you are a woman in politics, you will be judged for your appearance. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. Think about it: during the 2008 presidential campaign, how much attention did Sarah Palin’s wardrobe get? More then John McCain’s, Barack Obama’s and Joe Biden’s put together? You betcha. How hard has Hillary Clinton had to fight to be taken seriously in the political world? Probably harder than all of the men in Congress. Certainly, none of them have had to endure criticism for wrinkling their pantsuits, foregoing makeup or putting on a few pounds. And we wonder why there aren’t very many women in the Capitol.
Ladies, how many of you enjoy having your clothing, hairstyle or choice in makeup critiqued? How much would you like it to have the press comment on your weight gains in a national forum? Gentlemen, how would you like to see your girlfriends, sisters or mothers treated like this? You can see where I’m headed here.
It’s not only elected officials who have this problem. Meghan McCain explicitly stated in her KPU speech that she has no desire whatsoever to run for public office. Yet she is now a political figure, treated the same way we treat Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton, which is to say, pretty poorly.
McCain’s spat with right-wing radio host Laura Ingram shows that not just men, but women too who perpetuate this ferocity in a public forum. Which is bizarre. Ingram critiqued McCain’s “valley girl tone” and then took a swing at the young Republican by saying that McCain wanted to go on Real World until she found out that they don’t take plus size models. McCain’s response was just as immature; she went on The View and told Ingram to “kiss my size twelve ass.” Really, there’s no place for this in politics. You would think that both Ingram and McCain, two strong women in the male-dominated political arena, wouldn’t want to perpetuate an environment for young women in politics full of superficiality and petty attacks. Unfortunately, this is what they have done.
Is it really so hard to have a debate on the issues instead of a fury of personal attacks from both parties involved? I don’t think so, actually. But there will continue to be a super image-conscious environment for women on the political scene unless everyone involved starts singing a new tune. That means male congressmen. It means the media. It means you and me. Hopefully, we all want an equal environment. Hopefully, we all want AU women to succeed in the political world. But every single one of us is up against the status quo.
Erin Cady is a freshman in the School of Public Affairs and an AU Affairs columnist for The Eagle. You can reach her at edpage@theeagleonline.com.
