Letter to CBC The Hour George’s Sexist Diminishing of Sarah Palin – Her Boots

Jan 1, 2009

George,

By emphasizing how sexy you think a politician’s boots are, you diminished Gov Palin’s professional accomplishments.

There is an incredible double-standard that you have demonstrated against Sarah Palin.  Women get scrutinized based on appearance far, far more than men.  There has been plenty of talk and plenty written about Sarah Palin’s jackets, her hair and her looks.  Sound familiar?  There was plenty of talk and plenty written about Sen. Hillary Clinton’s looks, hair and pantsuits.

Compare that with the attention given to Sen. Barack Obama’s $1,500 suits or Sen. John McCain’s $520 Ferragamo shoes. There is no comparison.  When a male newscast reporter wears a not-so-great tie, how much e-mail do you think he gets from viewers?

For women, the media makes a woman’s appearance part of her job – as did you against Palin by remarking on her boots rather than on her qualifications – would you have mentioned Obama’s shoes or clothes?  I didn’t think so.

Let’s keep the focus on what really matters here.

– Daniela