Tuesday's Republican Debate brought out the worst in all the candidates. The media storm that followed Wednesday morning highlighted the heated exchange of words between Governors Rick Perry and Mitt Romney over immigration; the ganging up on Herman Cain; Ron Paul's attack on all the candidates for their unwillingness to "cut a penny" in defense spending; and Michele Bachmann's nails.
Yes, the day after the debate, political pundits and bloggers alike were up in arms over the long, squared-off, French-tipped nails of the bride-to-be only female GOP candidate.
Despite my aversion to the Minnesota Congresswoman, at first, I was a little outraged. Well, maybe not outraged, but miffed. "This is all people have to say about the lone female in the debate?" But then I came to my senses.
One, no one actually considers Bachmann a real contender anymore -- including the other candidates. Two, people have been listening to the crazy poppycock she's been spewing for months now and it's probably simply gotten tiresome to write about. And three, we make fun of John Boehner's fake tan and Chris Christie's weight.
Do I think there's a clear divide in the way men and women are treated in politics? Absolutely. Do I think gender biases and stereotypes still exist in this field? A hundred percent. But the truth is, if you're well-spoken and well-liked in the field, your appearance isn't going to be the butt of everyone's joke. Take Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard Law Professor running for Ted Kennedy's former Senate seat, for instance. No one's making fun of the way she looks -- and let's be honest, her eyeglasses do bear a slight resemblance to Sarah Palin's. Yes, Warren's campaign is on a much smaller scale than someone running for president, but I think we can all rest assured that if it were Bachmann or Palin or even Christie running for the seat, we'd see their faces on the likes of late night talk shows.
Bottom line is, no one and nothing are off-limits in politics. That goes for appearances, particularly appearances, if one has something specific about them -- long, fake, acrylic nails; a crappy spray tan; a weight problem. No, it's not PC to discuss a female's looks (unless they're an actress, singer, or model), but I really don't think they'd be commenting on these ladies' (or men's) style choices if they had a different personality.
When they start to nitpick Elizabeth Warren's appearance, then we'll have a problem.
Did you find Michele Bachmann's nails news-worthy? What about her arguments?
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Comments 13
As much as I love the look, where I'm from, the only ones that have their nails like that could be considered "white trash" (I know that sounds mean but you KNOW the type) so they kind of ruined it for me.
I don't see what's so offensive about them. Not my style (says the woman with chipping army-green nails), but not too flashy and nt as crappy looking as my own wrecked manicure.
FTW! I'm so happy to live in a society where what others think of something dictates whether or not you do it for yourself. And then, we have the ignorant that dedicate an entire post to what politicians look like. Seriously? I may not care for the woman, I certainly have my own choice words, but to make fun of how people look, or to excuse it, because you don't agree with their politics??!! No wonder we have a bullying problem in this world, because of people like you!! Oh and thanks for helping to make the educated liberal minded people look like complete jack asses.
Is it a coincidence or a joke that this post is right above the post about women being demeaned and superficially judged in"Miss Representation"?
According to ABC News, Bachmann gave a solid performance in the 10/17/11 debate. If you have considered Fabian-Weber's blogs terminally trivial in the past, this one takes the cake: now she is writing about nails. What's next for Weber: hair styles, hemlines and nose jobs? Weber is in the right job: copy-and-paste sexist slander. Weber's vile sexist trash about Bachmann is a reflection of the inability of the Demented Left to engage with Bachmann's prudent conservatism.
The irony is the Michele Bachmann is a beautiful woman, and not just for a 55-year-old mom.
When was the last time you saw a blog about Obama's huge elephant ears?
I would TOTALLY read about Dumbo's ears. Totally. Maybe we could park him on a Sit & Spin on a flag pole, and use him to generate some clean energy. Then, maybe, he'd be useful.
But I bet that's mean, and racist, because, you know, he's a Socialibral. You only have to treat the babies like babies.
I don't find anything newsworthy about Michele Bachmann. The only thing entertaining about her is the video of her that Bad Lip Reading made and uploaded onto Youtube. Everyone should look it up and watch. It will be worth your time.