Earlier this morning, I was listening to some of my peers talking about a newscast. While the topics were those of severe importance, like the upcoming presidential elections and crises overseas, they seemed to only be interested in the beauty of the newscaster broadcasting this information. Through analysis of her hair and the severity of her eye makeup, the importance of her profession and the interview seemed to diminish more and more. She was no longer the expert journalist with a thirst for the truth, but was reduced to the length of her skirt and the frown lines surrounding her mouth.
For years, women were defined as the housewives, or the pretty face a husband could come home to. While these patronizing stereotypes have lessened their grips on society through women seeking roles in higher education and the workplace, our preprogrammed notions of women's beauty standards sadly still dictate much of how we view women today. This can especially be seen in places of high authority, extremely damaging the progression of women.
I'm sure many people are aware of the comedy that this presidential election has become, but perhaps the least comical aspect of them all is the clear bias in the media between the male and female candidates. Although there are many questions that come to mind when considering each political candidate, none of the men have been subject to the correlation between their beauty and their ability to please a man.
When Carly Fiorina was still one of the republican candidates, numerous news articles came out comparing her and the female candidate of the Democratic party, Hilary Clinton. But these articles did not compare their foreign policies or stances on domestic affairs, they compared the physical appearances of the candidates. They finally gathered, through this careful deliberation, that on the basis of their abilities to please their spouses in the bedroom, Hillary Clinton fell short.
Many thoughts come to mind on the issues with these statements, but most prevalent is the disrespect it displays toward all woman. From a woman's inability to enter a men's locker room when reporting quotes following a big game, to the severe decrease in pay that women receive in comparison to men, women are quietly reminded that they are still seen as less than men.
I challenge anyone reading this to break that stereotype. Women are more than looks, or cooking skills, or their ability to please a man in the bedroom. Women are CEOs and political leaders, they are athletes and ambassadors. But mostly, we are much more than a pretty face. Because after all, who wants to be "pretty in pink" when you could be pretty in power?
