Ch. 12 Feminism and the New Right

There were so many different characteristics and expectations that the general public placed on Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin as female candidates for the presidency/vice presidency. An underlying theme that I would like to point out, is the different ways the two candidates attempted to exert their “toughness” and “masculinity” in order to be taken seriously as a candidate, while maintaining their “femininity” amongst a boy’s club of politics as not to offend the general public’s expectation of acceptable female behavior. Clinton crafted her campaign to come off as a diplomat, capable of putting herself in dangerous situations with matters of national security, and identifying with the blue collar demographic by referring to traditionally masculine pastimes.  Sarah Palin came out, guns blasting, literally, speaking of hunting and gutting a moose, being a competitive hockey mom, all whilst maintaining her beauty and poise and commitment to family. With five children and a government career in Alaska, Palin was the poster wife and mother. Hillary, with her Ivy-League education and diplomatic position, had just Chelsea, and was viewed less feminine because of her singular offspring. The media portrayed Sarah Palin as the beauty queen and working-class darling, while it portrayed Hillary as the serious politician that set aside her domestic responsibilities in order to be in politics. 

One of my favorite Palin SNL skits is the Clinton-and-Palin joint skit that portrays the two of them speaking side by side, comparing the different stereotypes of each candidate with a slightly biased favor of Clinton:

Upon looking into some sources, I found the attached essay on Obama’s portrayal as feminine by the media. I highly recommend you read this. It's quite interesting in regards Obama and femininity: 

http://www.academia.edu/628693/Our_First_Unisex_President-Black_Masculinity_and_Obamas_Feminine_Side