The sexist obsession with what women in politics wear

Source:zimbio.com

Leading women are usually presented in the media as women first, and then powerful figures second. This phenomenon of a gendered representation in media is known as ‘gendered mediation’, a “new phase in the study of women, politics, and themedia”, which focuses on the “stereotypically masculine narrative used inpolitical reporting”. This takes place when media representations of public figures choose to reinforce social gender stereotypes, often regarding women as trivial and men as essential.

In the last 20 years, female figures in politics have become more accepted and they are now more recognised for their skills and abilities, yet there is still undeniable discrimination against these women, simply for being women. It would be expected that as the world has begun to open its arms to female politicians that media would mirror this shift in its own language. However, by comparing the ways in which Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May have been described by the media, it is clear that there is still an overwhelming presence of gendered mediation.

Research by Blair Williams showed that during the first three weeks of her term, Thatcher’s appearance was mentioned in only 15% of the articles commenting on the new Prime Minister. In the case of May, however, her appearance was noted twice as often. Newspapers chose to focus on May’s style and fashion choices, adopting clothing items to identify her, something which rarely, if ever, occurred with Thatcher.

Source:thesun.co.uk

For example, May has often been referred to by the likes of ‘The Sun’ as “kitten heels” as a result of her frequent style choice of footwear. We saw this again in another headline by ‘The Sun’: “HEEL, BOYS – New PM Theresa can reunite Tories & deliver Brexit”. The headline was accompanied by a large striking image of a high heel shoe above a selection of male MPs. Both the image and the syntax of the title place more emphasis on May’s shoe choice and even suggest that her identity lies primarily in the items that make her a woman, something that would not happen to a male Prime Minister. Her choice of dresses, variety of necklaces, even the shades of her lipstick all manage to create headlines where the changes she is bring to the British government should be, all in a negative and critical manner with an aim to denigrate her, simply because she is not a man.

Another woman in a high position of power is Angela Merkel, the first female chancellor of Germany. Merkel’s own wardrobe choices take part in determining what language is used to regard her in the media just as with Theresa May. For years Merkel’s signature look has been a colourful blazer jacket usually worn with contrasting colour suit trousers. Merkel has long created consistency in her dress choice and perhaps this is why “you barely waste a thought as to what she is wearing and immediately move on to think about what she has to say” as suggested by, Dara Ford in her article titled: ‘What Theresa May can learn fromAngela Merkel on Fashion’. But isn’t Ford simply saying that it is Merkel’s downplaying of a stereotypically feminine trait that has earned her more respect than May in global politics? Are women only deemed respectable if they supposedly dress like men?

Source:daraford.com

Angela Merkel’s appearance is described by the New York Times as a modification of “the male uniform” allowing the German chancellor to remain “within the traditional framework”. Here the pairing of the words “male” and “traditional” gives the impression that in the political world, men in power are the norm and that women are required to mirror their features in order to succeed as leaders. Instead of being celebrated as the first woman chancellor of Germany, Merkel is instead presented as a man and is associated with the powerful images of male leaders. It is this masculine identity which ultimately earns her more respect on the behalf of the media in comparison to someone viewed as more feminine like Theresa May.

Leading women are caught in a paradox. A paradox which requires them to be strong, authoritative, and powerful, yet not so much so that it takes away from the stereotypical characteristics of a woman. Often women in leading positions find themselves subject to criticisms for leaning too far into either of the tensions.

Mainstream media are simply unable to disconnect a woman’s identity from her appearance. Theresa May is much more than her heels, and Angela Merkel is much more than her androgynous suit choices. Both of them are formidable women who have led significant changes and decisions in both of their countries. Why does it matter what they look like and what they wear?

Thank you for reading!

Aman