Letter to the Economist from Alexander Ferworn, Toronto:
Sir - Thank you for letting us know that Hillary Clinton was "decked out in an orange trouser-suit" during a recent conference (Lexington, June 17th). I am using this information in conjunction with economic policy I have gleaned from various fashion magazines to make up my mind about her candidacy. Perhaps in the future you could report if Al Gore's tie matched his trousers and if George Bush wore shorts on a hot day.
Ferworn highlights a very typical thing - it seems to be very important to add what women are wearing, what hairstyle they have, etc. as if this somehow tells us how good of a politician or a business leader they are or would be, whilst this wouldn't even be considered when it comes to men.
Back in the day, I took a Women and American Politics class, where we read an article of media coverage of Congrssional campaigns...They quantified how much more the media focused on the clothes of female candidates...
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