Men have been citing “their” women’s greater attractiveness as proof of their superiority over political rivals for as long as I can remember. Probably longer. It’s a fun excuse to objectify women and emphasize one’s status as alpha male, if you’re a guy. If you’re a woman who’s into that sort of thing, it’s an opportunity to elevate yourself above other women and prove your worth to the menfolk.
Two international examples have come to my attention this week. Italian women are pushing back against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s sexism. This man is a real piece of work. On top of his nasty, frightening remarks about rape, Berlusconi boasts of the good looks of his party’s young female parliament members, dismissing women of the opposition party as menopausal.
But it was a comment he recently made on a late-night talk show that broke the proverbial camel’s back. “You’re more beautiful than you are intelligent,” he told opposition parliament member Rosy Bindi. Understandably frustrated and outraged, a group of women drafted a petition calling Berlusconi’s statements offensive to female dignity. They added that he denigrates women and democracy by using women’s bodies for his political ends. In 11 days, over 100,000 women signed on.
The second is brought to you by The Calgary Sun, wherein columnist Ian Robinson proposes a new slogan for right-wingers: “Come for the culture war … stay for the chicks.”
You know what follows. Liberal women wear “sensible” shoes; conservative women wear three-inch heels – at least. Liberal woman feed their husbands tofu; conservative women feed their husbands steak (and have it on the table by the time their masters men get home from work). Liberal women whine about unequal political representation; conservative women cut their losses and… go shoe shopping. Robinson dedicates nearly one-third of his screed to women’s footwear. Also: liberal women recycle and listen to Sarah McLachlan!
Hey Robinson: the 90′s called; they want their cultural references back.
The natural response to these things is to protest: Hey, I’m not menopausal! Check out my Jimmy Choos! And have you seen Angelina Jolie?!
Resist the impulse! The most offensive thing about it is not that they compare conservative women’s Glamour Shots to unflattering photos of liberal women. It’s the very premise: that women’s greatest contribution to the political process is our sex appeal. It’s using women’s bodies as political currency, as a reflection of one group of men’s dominance over another group of men. And it’s not exactly a compliment to be treated as better arm candy, either. Conservatives are not the only ones who are guilty of this. It’s just as bad when liberals defend themselves by citing the beautiful women in their midst, or by denigrating conservative women’s looks. Don’t play that game; all women lose.
Silvio Berlusconi is a pathetic, monomoniacal assclown of the first order. Unfortunately he owns most of the media in Italy, has shockingly high approval ratings and, until recently, was shielded from prosecution for corruption (thanks to a law he had passed specifically for that purpose), so I can’t just dismiss him as such.
Chiara Volpato recently wrote an excellent op-ed piece for the NY Times about the misogyny of Italian culture, Berlusconi and what women are doing about it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/opinion/27volpato.html
Not even feminism is immune from using women’s bodies to further a point. I see a pattern that goes like this: MRA-type Critic: Feminists are gross and hairy and wear birkinstocks and no make-up. Feminists: No we aren’t! Look, I shave my legs and wear make-up, and I have 3-inch stillettos on right now! When some women are so eager to prove that they go against the stereotype, they end up creating pressure for other women to do the same. If I don’t wear makeup or shave my legs am I damaging feminism by cleaving to the sterotypes and giving the attackers more ammo? Sometimes it can feel like it.
Ugh, at least when I was in University I was shielded from conservative yahoos like Robinson. Now that I’ve lost my liberal arts bubble, being out in the “real” world in the same province as that ahole is really starting to get to me.
That Italian prime minister has done nothing but PISS ME OFF every time I hear about him. What a sexist jackass.
But did you hear the awesome response Rosy Bindy had for that asshole? “I’m not a woman at your disposal.” It became a rallying cry for many feminists in Italy and has been printed on signs and t-shirts. I think that’s pretty awesome.
“Hottest governor, coldest state.” And now I must go douse the Palin-rage before it burns up your comment thread.
JennyK: That’s what I like about the Berlusconi example, it gives me a quick-and-easy anecdote to illustrate why that reaction is unhelpful. I know way too many women that are patriarchy-supporters in that way, especially in policing other women’s bodies, outfits, hair, makeup, etc. Like if we’d just be prettier, men would pay attention and our points would be taken seriously. No, it’s a losing game, see: Berlusconi. Not pretty enough? Your party sucks. Too pretty? You must be stupid.
agreed sarah. I hate it when people fall into that trap and start either naming attractive liberal women or UNattractive conservative women. It’s like just stop. period.
But Robinson, what about the Log Cabin Republicans and all the closeted right-wing legislators? We don’t want to leave them out, do we?
This piece made me remember that the rank sexism of the ’60 left radical movements was in part what sparked whichever wave of feminism came out of that era. SDS and its ilk were infamous for passing women around like joints, forcing them into subservient roles like cooking and fetching, and barring them from any decision-making power. Sadly, it’s not just the right, although we have made a lot of progress in this.
And you know what? If right-wing women are happy being treated like blow-up dolls, they deserve what they get.
Finally: Sarah McLaughlin? Please. How about Lady Gaga?
One of the reasons I’m so thankful I left Calgary is that I am no longer beseiged with bullshit like that everyday in the newspapers. What Robinson says isn’t complimentary to any woman; I think if I was a Conservative I would be even more pissed off than I am right now.
“A right-wing woman wants to get elected, she runs for office… If she loses … well, there’s always more shoe shopping.”
Is this seriously what he thinks of female, right-wing politicians? I am officially offended on their behalf.
What Kristine said.
Also, what I said on my facebook page: oops, I’m wearing Redwings cuz it’s too cold for Birks. And I would really like a tweed skirt. If I didn’t have better things to do, I’d drive to Calgary, find this guy’s house, and march around his block in my bare hairy legs, while eating delicious tofu snacks and singing kd lang songs.
This idea about using sex to sell politics occurred recently in Australia, where one Young Liberal (the Liberals in Australia are the conservatives) on his blog had suggestive Young Liberal women wearing not much and promoting them as the reason why men should join the Liberal Party. (There was a particularly grotesque shot of one women salivating over Ayn Rand whilst wearing a bikini.)