With November 7th growing nearer, the fighting words exchanged between Presidential candidates has been heating up, as well as between their supporters. Both rational and irrational arguments for who is the best and worst candidate are being tossed from both sides, hoping to convince one side to think with the same mindset as the other side. One specific "argument" that I see time and time again particularly stings, regardless of what side of the political spectrum I affiliate with. The issue of people attacking the wives of politicians either currently in office or running for office is not only far from a legitimate argument for or against any candidate, it's also sexist and immature if one is successfully trying to form an argument. There is no reason as to why a woman should be body-shamed or criticized based on their appearance simply because one doesn't like what their politician husband has been doing.
Unfortunately, some supporters from both sides of the political spectrum become carried away with what they are standing up for, and resort to ad hominem arguments that are baseless and arbitrary. It's truly disappointing to witness what could have been an intelligible political debate, and turned pointless because someone on one side of the debate decided to make a racist statement against Michelle Obama, an unnecessary need to bring up Malania Trump's past modeling gig for a magazine, as if that somehow factors into how good or bad of a potential First Lady she would be. No matter which side of politics her and her husband are on, it's imperative that a wife of a politician is not shoved into the limelight under some sexist, pointless headline or a baseless argument.
Women in politics, or married into politics, should not have to face shame for their appearance, or their race. Rather, if politician's wives are to be talked about, it should at least be a legitimate argument on their social viewpoints, or ideas that they may have expressed. Other than that, there should be no reason for a wife of a politician to even be talked about in a politically-charged argument. Degrading comments against the current or a potential First Lady, or even any other woman involved with a politician ought to be respected for how she may look, and speculated more for her political viewpoints. Women deserve to be respected and held to the same standards and criticisms as their male counterparts. Whether a woman is "pretty" by Western societal standards should in no way be factored into any argument against a politician. It is time that sexism is taken out of the equation of a successful political argument.
