Anyone who pays attention to my writing and/or my social media will know I am a die-hard Bernie Sanders fan. I did not expect to get involved in this election at all, but this Vermont Senator pulled me in beyond my wildest dreams. His message of economic equality, social justice, and institutional reform resonate with me and align with my ideals more than I have words to say. My Bernie memorabilia, purchased lovingly from his website with the warmth of knowing my money was going to his campaign, are still in my room here at home.
But Hillary Clinton is the Democratic Party nominee. And Bernie has put his full support behind her, endorsing her ahead of the Democratic National Convention and urging his supporters to vote Clinton in his convention speech.
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So let’s talk about her.
Fair warning: this is not an article about what’s wrong with Clinton’s policies. If you want to read about that, I’ve already written numerous articles about that, as have so many other people across the political spectrum. This is a post of a different nature: the problem Clinton’s campaign reveals about America.
When you think of women in American politics, it’s almost impossible to not think of Hillary Rodham Clinton. And when you think of Hillary, you think about all the sexism she has had to face while clawing her way up the political ladder.
Now let’s be honest, as a wealthy white heterosexual woman Clinton has not dealt with as many social obstacles as many of her constituents. Her privilege shows through abundantly in her past actions and words.
That being said, there is another problem involving the Iron Lady of America, and it involves how the American people treat her as a woman in politics.
Let’s take the pantsuits as an example. Clinton has received unprecedented backlash for her fashion choices, and I’ll be honest a few of her choices have been…questionable. But to critique her wardrobe, and the wardrobe of other powerful women, without also critiquing the wardrobe of the (more numerous) men in similar positions is a product of sexism. Plain and simple. It’s the reason why a male politician’s headline is what he said in a speech, while a female politician’s headline is what she was wearing. I love Bernie, I’ve made that very clear by now I hope, but he is a grade-A example of men not needing to focus on appearance. His political career has benefited immensely from the male privilege of not needing to look a certain way in order to be taken seriously.
Or what about her nicknames? When she ran for President in 2008, she was called every name in the book, with “bitch” being the most common. Coupled with her being called “bossy” and “shrill,” you’ve got textbook sexism aimed at women in power. Whenever a woman in a place of authority commands her power, she is undermined every step of the way. People tell her that her voice is grating, she sounds too bossy, she isn’t very likeable.
I’ll admit it right now, I’ve thought these things of Clinton, and the reason why is because I have serious internalized misogyny still to unlearn. We all do.
Think about this: in her DNC acceptance speech, Clinton was criticized (by men) for not looking happy enough about it. One writer for the Atlantic, Steve Clemons, tweeted during the convention a literal command for her to smile. Another unsavory character chimed in with even less class, commenting specifically on her makeup as well. Even Bernie-leaning Republican commentator Joe Scarborough fell into this sexist trap, telling Clinton on Super Tuesday, “Smile. You just had a big night.”
This Fortune article by Kristen Bellstrom does a better job of explaining the sexism behind this than I can, but it will suffice to say that to demand, not even ask, Hillary Clinton to smile in light of the pressure upon her is at best insensitive. At worst, its disgustingly sexist.
Moral of the story: there is a ton of things to criticize Clinton for. But when you’re criticizing her, look at what you’re saying and make sure you check your sexism, if for no other reason than the fact that it wholly undermines your entire critique.
