I don’t know what it is about men, but it seems that a lot of them—especially in corporate positions or politics—love to tear down a woman who's on the rise or at the top. "She's not sexy.""She's not sexy enough.""She's overbearing and opininated.""She's meek...too mild." No matter how competent we are, it never seems to be enough.
One person who knows this for certain is Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Clinton has certainly faced her share of sexism since the moment she entered the public eye decades ago. As the First Lady of Arkansas, FLOTUS, Senator of New York, Secretary of State, and finally, presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton has always faced shallow comments about who she is as a person despite her obvious competence. Political commentators always have something to say about her, whether it be about her likability, her appearance or even her parenting skills.
The National Memo tracked the sexism related to Clinton since her first real public political position as First Lady of Arkansas in 1979. That’s right, nearly 40 years of commentary on whether or not she was dignified enough, how opinionated and masculine she was, and all the things MEN found wrong with her. There are points where her interviewers ask her demeaning questions about tablecloths as if tablecloths should be the prime responsibility of a First Lady. In fact, one interviewer said people found her similar to Lady MacBeth. That's right, the conniving mastermind behind MacBeth's takeover.
Well, maybe the male world isn't ready for a female president. Maybe they aren't ready to confront the fact women can be powerful and smart without catering to the male gaze. But that clearly has not stopped HRC, who has continued to excel in her field despite the remarks. I guess there's some truth to what Beyonce says: “Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper.”
