Comments on: When Old is New Again

By: Sandy Kirkpatrick

Sandy Kirkpatrick — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:20:15 +0000

This sexist, misogynistic tendency in political commentary goes well beyond Hillary Clinton, by the way. As Barack Obama gains momentum, his wife, Michelle Obama, is now more and more frequently called out by media voices for having “an attitude” — a none-too-subtle warning against a woman having (gasp!) intellect and opinions. And let’s not forget the disgusting references to Chelsea Clinton’s campaigning efforts being dismissed as her parents “pimping her out.”

Thanks to Sherry for sharing the link to the Tim Gunn report. The comments to that report are perfect illustrations of where and how we need to speak out.

By: Gloria Cordova

Gloria Cordova — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:01:04 +0000

I’ve been following gender-related articles in connection with this presidential candidate campaigns. Thanks for raising this point on the AAUW blog. As I see it (and read it), the gender bias is alive and well in the media!

By: Sherry

Sherry — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:10:07 +0000

I happened to watch Tim Gunn (Project Runway) on Conan’s show and he fell right into describing Hillary as being, in essence, “gender confused” due to the clothes she was wearing. I found the following clip of this segment on E-online, with comments worth reading from women raising voices in protest.

http://www.eonline.com/gossip/hum/detail/index.jsp?uuid=30be47b3-936c-47ae-b22f-6c7da3abfcca#commentstart

By: Sandy Kirkpatrick

Sandy Kirkpatrick — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:00:56 +0000

This question actually relates to the Feb. 15 posting about whether AAUW should endorse Hillary Clinton. Many of the comments to that posting focused on which candidate they supported and why, rather than addressing the issue of how an organization that supports equity for women should support a female candidate into an office that has thus far been a notable glass ceiling for women in politics.

Since AAUW has a policy against endorsing particular candidates I think it’s safe to say that AAUW members will appreciate being kept informed about the various candidates’ stand on AAUW issues, and that we can each come to our own conclusions and even respectfully support different candidates.

But the question here is about how we insist on equity for women. And in this case, it means that, whichever candidate we support for president in this campaign, we should ALL be watchful and call out the media whenever their coverage has gender bias or plays into gender stereotypes.

It’s not about supporting this particular female candidate; it’s about making sure that ALL candidates are given fair, even-handed coverage… in this campaign and into the future!