The Look

You’ve got the look

You’ve got the hook

U sho-nuf do be cookin’

In my book

~~ “U Got The Look” by Prince

Looks pretty goddamn presidential to me

An alternate title and song for this entry would be “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown.

::sigh::

Earlier this week, the Yam said in an interview that Hillary Clinton doesn’t “look presidential.” I have to wonder how he would define “looking presidential.” I know my own personal definition would preclude being orange, but that’s just me.

This isn’t even subtle sexism. This is in your face sexism. He doesn’t think she looks presidential because she’s a woman. You all know that, right?

To cap it all off, after the NBC forum on Wednesday night, RNC chair Reince Priebus (AKA the Obvious Anagram per Charlie Pierce) tweeted that Clinton looked angry and defensive and that she sported “no smile.” Seriously?

This double standard for female politicians—and to be honest, pretty much every woman who deals in any way with anyone anywhere—is absurd. If a woman takes things seriously, she is told to lighten up and be more approachable. If she is forceful in her words, opinions, and delivery, she is told that she is being too strident or shrill, or that she is shouting. Women are criticized for their hairstyle, their makeup, their attire, their demeanor, their body. If she is subjected to harassment in the workplace, some suggest that her best option is to find another job. If she is raped, there are those who blame her for dressing the wrong way, acting the wrong way, drinking too much, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe they shouldn’t be in the same workplace because I guess some men just can’t control themselves if they are in close proximity to a woman as they work alongside her.

At the forum mentioned above, Matt Lauer frequently interrupted Hillary and after spending about a third of her time asking her email questions (let it go, Matt, let it go), told her to be brief when talking about her plan to deal with ISIL. When the Yam blatantly lied about being against the Iraq war from the beginning, Lauer just...let it go. (Wrong thing to let go, Matt!) Poor Lauer. I think his ass is still smarting from the spanking he got from pretty much everyone over how he handled that forum.

::heavy sigh::

Well, if anything good can come from that clusterfuck of a forum, it will be that the moderators of the upcoming debates will have paid attention and realize that they need to get their acts together and do some damn moderatin’.

If the election of our first female President will help even a little bit with the casual sexism that millions of women are subjected to every day, then I’m with her! I think U got the look, Hillary!