Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin – The Sexist Double Standard

Sarah-Palin-white-jacket

Gov. Sarah Palin waves to the crowd before dropping the ceremonial first puck prior to the Philadelphia Flyers playing the New York Rangers at Wachovia Center on Oct. 11, 2008.

Is all of this banter about Sarah Palin’s appearance, wardrobe and make-up a sexist double standard?

If politicos weren’t so snide and dismissive of fashionistas, the McCain-Palin campaign wouldn’t be in the awkward position of having to explain the $150,000 tab for shopping trips, hairstyling and beauty makeovers for Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

How do you sell someone as a no-frills hockey mom who sold the state plane and fired the official cook and hunted her own moose meat, and then try to explain wardrobing her in clothes from Neiman Marcus — a store occasionally referred to by aggrieved, frugal shoppers as Needless Markup? How do you, in barely two months, lavish her with fashion swag worthy of a starlet and valued at more than her annual governor’s salary of $125,000?

Why, of course it is.

Is anyone talking about Barack Obama’s proclivity for $1,500 suits? Or Michelle Obama’s designer clothes?

In her critique of the Palin wardrobe, Post fashion critic Robin Givhan lets slip in passing that Barack Obama’s suits go for $1500 and that Michele wears designer duds all the time (except when appearing on The View when she boasted of wearing an under $200 dress).

Yes the figure of $150,000 is eye-popping, but don’t forget it that it included the whole Palin clan. And finally, I cannot escape the suspicion that one reason everyone is so exercised (other than the obvious, i.e. that she’s a Republican) is that she is so gorgeous in those clothes. There is simply no other woman in political life to match her. The green-eyed monster strikes!

Nope – Crickets.

So, why pick on Palin?

palin-red-suit
Gov. Sarah Palin, right, in a camera-ready red suit and high black boots, with Sen. Olympia Snowe, (R-Maine).

ANSWER:

A sexist double standard, envy and the fact she is a threat to the left and the Obama campaign. Flap does not agree with the left-biased Campbell Brown at CNN very often. But, she has this one RIGHT:

The video link is here.

Update:

Palin’s wardrobe is being donated to charity in any case.

More from Geraghty.


5 Comments

  • Danielle R

    It’s funny that you are trying compare a $1500 suit to $150K shopping spree. I am a woman and your comparisons are so full of holes. And you show a picture of Sarah with another politician who is humbly dressed while Sarah is catwalk ready.

    It’s not a double standard it’s just pure economics and the only one floating around this shoddy sexist argument any more are male Republican supporters. The same male supporters who happily call her a VPILF and often say amongst themselves it doesn’t matter that she has experience because there isn’t much to do in VP role.

  • Flap

    But, you failed to mention that women are judged more on their appearance more than men and how much Michelle Obama (who will never be anyone’s ILF) has spent on her wardrobe.

    Is this important?

    Or are the issues?

    Double standard you bet.

  • Hawaiian Shirts

    The comments about Sarah Palin’s wardrobe are ridiculous. So what if they dressed her up! Every politician needs to look nice for a job interview like the one she’s going through. Get over it dems, the republicans are going to be in the white house for 4 more years!

  • Aneriz

    Yes, republicans needed to dress her VP candidate out of Target and stand her next to Michelle’s and Cindy McCain designer suits. That would have made democrats very happy…Not! They would have left no stone unturned in passing judgement and
    calling on her lack of class and taste.

  • Sedate Me

    The fact that anybody cares what anybody is wearing is part of what’s wrong with politics (and society in general). We are so obsessed with looks, we ignore the important stuff like…oh…say…ability? What a person would do with the country once elected is more important than how they look.

    Sure, she looks good. I’d nail Sarah Palin in a New York minute. But I’m not interested in that. I’m interested in why I should/shouldn’t vote for her as a candidate. This isn’t a damn beauty contest or an episode of America’s Next Has Been Model! She could wear a burlap sack for all I care.

    While it makes for great ratings generating campaign “controversy” it is completely meaningless and, yeah, sexist. Hillary got a taste of it too, so this isn’t a left-right thing.

    The only validity in talking about it is with regards to where the money came from. I think it’s a stupid strategy and a waste of taxpayer money to make-over a politician whose entire schtick is “I’m one of you Joe Sixpacks” and put her in expensive clothes. Most politicians these days try -and fail- (see Romney) to dress up and pretend they are commoners. She does it naturally.

    The makeover undermines her single biggest strength.