It seems absurd that a newspaper like the Washington Post would bother to print an article discussing the fact that Hillary Clinton has cleavage! Of course she has cleavage - she's a middle-aged woman! Why is this worthy of comment? I don't read any articles about what side the male candidates "dress" on, or how well they may be endowed.
But recently, when Senator Clinton spoke on the Senate floor, wearing a pink jacket and slacks with a white V-neck blouse underneath, Post fashion editor Robin Givhan saw cleavage on C-Span, according to her column. Givhan went on to describe her discomfort with this (though the photograph attached to the Washington Post's online article doesn't show a hell of a lot of cleavage that I can see.) Apparently this woman-- a yuppee African-American journalist who ought to know something about bias-- has never been in the try-on room at the nearest Loehmann's. If she had, she would long ago have gotten used to the sight of women in various stages of undress.
It's a good thing Hillary isn't a young breast-feeding mother. If Givhan had happened to walk into a Ladies Lounge in Nordstrom’s and seen her suckling a child, God only knows what kind of a column that would have generated.
I am just sick and tired of the absurd standards being set for Hillary Rodham Clinton as a Senator and a presidential candidate. She's a bright, capable and determined woman, and yes, Robin, she even has breasts. Get over it. Her breasts aren't running for president, SHE is!
Givhan goes as far as to say that a woman who shows cleavage anywhere where neither cocktails nor hors d'oeuvres are being served is being "provocative." Next time Givhan is in a house of worship and a strapless-gowned bride walks down the aisle to the altar, I hope someone throws the bride a stiff drink and a hunk of Swiss cheese. If not, Robin is bound to declare the wedding to be X-rated.
Givhan may be one of the first people to go on at length about Hillary as a sex symbol-- not something the wife-of-Bill is usually accused of being. America's voters, however, will be voting for the candidate whose brain and whose heart they believe will be best for America. Hopefully their external anatomical appendages will not be a factor in the way voters' ballots are cast.
Now if Ms. Givhan can just get out more, maybe she can actually come up with something sensible to write about.
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Mary Ann Sorrentino
Italy Series of articles runs Aug./Sept/Oct 2015
Hope for the Future: Uruguay 2007
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"JOACHIM" - Oct. '92-March '08
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1 comment:
I agree: this whole cleavage business is ridiculous. There is plenty of sexism already revealing itself in this campaign. Why should she have to worry about her fashion — which is by no means exotic — and her male colleagues don't? Perhaps it's because she's a woman and is thus associated with fashion; perhaps it is her anatomy; perhaps it is both of those things.
"I am just sick and tired of the absurd standards being set for Hillary Rodham Clinton as a Senator and a presidential candidate. She's a bright, capable and determined woman, and yes, Robin, she even has breasts. Get over it. Her breasts aren't running for president, SHE is!" -- Great point.
I do not support Clinton and many of her policies do not bode well with me, but the fact that she's a woman, just like the fact that Obama's black and Romney a Mormon, should not make a difference in the amount of support or criticism she receives. Of course it will: she will attract more female voters; Obama will attract more African-Americans. Sadly, superficial personality, looks, sex/personal life, and 'brand' often matter more to the American electorate than policies. I, however, will continue to judge based on politics and policy, for that is the measure of a candidate. I do not care that Giuliani has been married three times, I care that he brought into place very dangerous and questionable policies during his term as NYC mayor.
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