The tropes used to advanced sexist stereotypes may be more subtle now than they were the last time Hillary Clinton ran for President, but there is still a double standard when measuring a woman’s appearance, likability, authenticity and credibility. And yes, it might be sexist when Senator Sander’s presidential campaign operative says he would consent to “interview” Hillary Clinton for a subservient position — especially...
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Why do we still demand impossible metrics for women on likeability, “authenticity” and credibility while automatically conferring those qualities upon men? Senator Bernie Sanders got in some hot water last week owing to senior campaign operatives’ remarks about being “willing to consider” Hillary Clinton for Vice President and “consenting to interview her.” His adviser’s statements were as insecure as they were condescending, considering Clinton is...
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Republicans have chosen to double down on defunding Planned Parenthood, even by shutting down government, if necessary. But is their crusade yielding the desired result? Presidential candidate Carly Fiorina just found out the hard way that, as media strategist Shawna Vercher put it, “Lying matters more to people than anyone thought.” Author and commentator Anita Finlay agreed, stating that “Fiorina has been caught lying about...
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Matt Damon got himself in hot water in the fourth season of his reality show, Project Greenlight. Damon and his male judges were discussing a contestant’s script when the panel’s sole female judge, noted producer, Effie Brown, a woman of color, voiced concern that the only black character in the film was “a prostitute getting beaten by her white pimp.” US Magazine reports “Ms. Brown...
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HillaryMen Peter Daou and Tom Watson have my gratitude for exposing certain media operative’s loop of sexist tropes used to attack Hillary Clinton. The words “testy,” “combative,” “calculating,” “defiant,” “conniving” and “secretive” as applied to her have one purpose: character assassination designed to distract from her policy prescriptions and derail her presidential campaign. That is not too strong a statement. No man is described...
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After Republican frontrunner Donald Trump retaliated against tough debate questioning by FOX News’ Megyn Kelly, saying “she had blood coming out of her wherever,” the menstruation slur had Republicans in an uproar. Candidates like Carly Fiorina pretended offense, yet simultaneously swore that the equal rights Hillary Clinton champions for women are pandering and not needed. Fiorina also denied the need for paid maternity leave. Senator Marco Rubio, frustrated by...
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When former Disney CEO Michael Eisner made the comment that “beautiful, funny women are impossible to find,” women took to Facebook to list any number of actresses who meet that criteria. He claimed that the Lucille Balls of this world basically don’t exist. At the Aspen Ideas Festival, on stage with Goldie Hawn, Eisner said “I know women who have been told they’re beautiful, they...
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When Nobel winning scientist Sir Tim Hunt showed up at a conference in Seoul and made the now infamous remarks that “when you have women in the lab, three things happen: you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticize them, they cry,” he didn’t imagine his life would be turned upside down as a result. 16 women...
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Caitlyn Jenner has triggered a long overdue debate among Americans about what it means to be a transgender person today. But when Caitlyn appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair, the media, not unpredictably, could only obsess over her looks. The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart in a fabulous rant welcomed her to the media’s world of women, where accomplishment takes a backseat to babe-aliciousness. This...
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Maggie Gyllenhaal revealed that she lost out on a movie role because she was told she was “too old” to play a 55-year-old man’s love interest on-screen. “There are things that are really disappointing about being an actress in Hollywood that surprise me all the time,” she told The Wrap. “I’m 37 and I was told recently I was too old to play the lover of...
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