Ska man prata om politikers kläder ska man göra det på rätt sätt

The Daily Beasts nya stilkrönikör Kate Betts beklagar sig för att Hillary Clinton bara har på sig sina tråkiga byxdräkter hela tiden:

Why can’t she stand out? Why do women, when they’re sitting at the same table or in the same corner office as the big boys, always have to blend in?

Man skulle ju kunna ställa frågan annorlunda: Varför kan inte män klä sig så att de skiljer sig från gruppen?

Det här gäller ju inte bara kvinnor inom politiken. Men det är bara när det gäller kvinnor som det inte räcker att vara framgångsrik och mäktig, kravet att också vara piffig finns kvar hela tiden. För att vara en verklig förebild ska man vara stylish också.

Se bara hur Betts talar om Michelle Obama:

Already powerful women like Michelle Obama have redefined the notion of what is appropriate. And thanks to Michelle, the next generation—the one who buys everything online and lives a truly transparent life, sharing their every fashion whim on sites like Polyvore.com and Twitter—will wear whatever they want in the Oval Office.

Helene på The Luxury Chronicles reagerar här helt rätt:

Ms. Betts also conveniently overlooks the fact that although the First Lady is an Ivy League-trained former lawyer and healthcare executive who up until her husband's presidential campaign balanced career and family, she has, since her husband took office, largely stuck to the traditional First Lady script. A wardrobe of flower prints and belted cardigans is perfectly appropriate for reading Dr. Seuss to little children, cultivating an organic vegetable garden and walking the family dog but for securing a withdrawal of illegal settlements from the Israeli? Not really.

Michelle Obama may be inspirational by virtue of the fact that she is the first African American First Lady but beyond that, there is little evidence at this point that her legacy will be anything more than fashion and family.

Det fascinerar mig att kvinnor alltid låter män komma undan. Varför skriver ingen om att Barack Obama borde kunna visa lite mer klassisk svart pimp/dandy-stil? I stället skriver bara Betts: "I know it’s considered chauvinistic to focus on what powerful women are wearing instead of what they’re saying, but we live in a visual culture, so get over it." Det skulle inte låta så tomt om hon också kritiserade männen för deras val av kläder.