Sexualization Of Women In Politics

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More than two decades after the Year of the Woman and the United States has yet to elect their first female president nor their first female vice president. A country that seems to pride itself on equality is far from it as equal representation of men and women in politics is still a pressing concern. Though it seems feasible with the countless movements encouraging women to run for political office, the electability of these women is at the forefront of the barriers faced when entering politics. There seems to be a perceived need to sexualize women as countless people, including the media and society, place heavy emphasis on a woman’s body. Appearance is often a focus of campaigns, more so for female candidates than for males, which can …show more content…
These women both endured criticism from the media regarding their appearance through usage of photoshopped images and sexist questions from magazine journals. This overt scrutiny over the female body undermines their ability to execute a seat in politics, decreasing their chance of becoming elected. Media analysis can provide an explanation as to how this objectification impacted their respective elections in 2008 and 2016, losing to their male counterparts. Treating women running for political office as sexual objects back tracks our progress towards equality. By exposing this differential treatment, feminist movements can begin to develop ideas on how to counter gender norms that have been accepted for centuries. How does the focus on female politicians’ appearances by the media delegitimize their political candidacy? The media subjects female politicians to harsh scrutiny through sexualizing or demonizing these highly respected public figures, conflating the importance of appearance and devaluing their competency for a political …show more content…
This recurring theme is evident through the unequal distribution of news coverages and the sexist representations of women in news articles. Female politicians, in general, “received less overall coverage and the focus was more on their visibility as candidates rather than their stand on the issues” (Women in Politics). When women are featured within the media, they are often reduced to their appearance. Sarah Palin, a governor of Alaska, and Hillary Clinton, the senator of New York, both ran with the desire to attain either the office of the Vice President or the office of the President, respectively. These women devoted their careers to speaking for the communities they served and sought to continue that passion in the White House. During their campaigns, that commitment was often not the primary concern of the media. Though they participated in political elections eight years apart, the media still perpetuated similar themes that valued appearance more than their political stances. Discussion on their political stances were disregarded and value was placed on their looks, essentially devaluing their involvement to create change in politics. Women are often referred to as “one sexy politician,” “being too beautiful to be in politics,” or “a conservative but her behavior was anything but conservative” (Youtube). This trend has been occurring
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