"What is she wearing there?" - "Did she gain weight?" - "The haircut looks good on her!" Liz Shoo urges that we refrain from making comments like this about women politicians and instead judge their work.
By Liz Shoo
dialog box
Joy and sorrow are close together. Ricarda Lang has felt this clearly in recent weeks. On the one hand, it is celebrating a huge political success. At the age of 28, she was elected the new co-leader of the Greens. At the same time, she is being heavily insulted and insulted by an army of trolls on social media, especially on Twitter. And most hate comments are all about one thing: being overweight.
Body-shaming instead of good counter-arguments
Her name trended on Twitter for several days. Among other things, she is criticized for calling for compulsory vaccination for people over the age of 50. Response from users online: With her weight, she is much more likely to be in the risk group and should kindly vaccinate herself.
Lang is repeatedly attacked online with this. Luckily, she's a strong, confident woman who doesn't let trolls unsettle her. Her message: I am what I am, deal with it!
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Baerbock's coats, Suding's legs
It annoys me that when it comes to women in positions of power, looks, clothing or facial expressions are still very much in the foreground. 16 percent of politicians in Germany say that their appearance is often discussed and that they are judged on it. From colleagues, from us media and from people in social networks. As a result, what politicians say and what they stand for often fades into the background.
When Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made her first trips abroad to France, the USA, Russia or Ukraine, one detail was very much in focus: her coats.
Secretary of State Annalena Baerbock in Washington
It is not surprising that magazines such as Bunte and Gala wrote about Baerbock's clothing style afterwards. But I'm surprised that "serious" media also found the outfits worth reporting. In the first part of an online article by the Münchner Merkur, Baerbock's "sensitive mission" in Ukraine and Russia is mentioned, but the second part is only about reactions to Baerbock's coat choice during her travels.
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And a day after the foreign minister tried to de-escalate a looming war in Moscow, Focus Online interviews a trend and fashion researcher about what's behind Baerbock's bright color choice. I would have much preferred an analysis of the actual messages of the press conference.
FDP politician Katja Suding can certainly tell you a thing or two about the fact that the appearance of female politicians often makes the headlines, even at crucial moments in their careers. 2015, one week before the mayoral election in Hamburg. Suding is the FDP's top candidate. What is the whole of Germany talking about? About that one pan on her legs, aired primetime on the Tagesschau.
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double standards
Of course, we always notice looks first. And whether we admit it or not, to some extent we always judge others accordingly. But why is the appearance of female politicians worth reporting, but not that of their male colleagues? After Baerbock's trip to Russia, I was unable to find a gallery of suits and ties by her counterpart Lavrov. And what about Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State? Why doesn't an editor spend money to write a piece about Blinken's shirts, shoes or handkerchiefs?
Double standards are also omnipresent when it comes to figures. Ricarda Lang is criticized, abused and considered incompetent because of her weight. Did the weight of ex-Economics Minister Altmaier or ex-Chancellery Minister Braun also play a role in assessing their competence?
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Compliments hurt too
You might think that it's about not saying or writing anything negative about female politicians and their characters, hairstyles or their outfits. But it would be best not to discuss the optics at all. After all, anyone who praises a politician for her sense of style reduces her to her appearance. The content that politicians advocate, what makes them special, their professional skills, immediately takes a back seat. This is confirmed by a study from the USA.
Surveys of potential voters have shown that media descriptions of a candidate's appearance have a negative impact on their chances in the election.
In a country where 40 percent of female politicians say they have to work harder than their male counterparts to achieve something, this is an additional hurdle for them in the male-dominated political establishment.
Nip discussion in the bud
Colorful blazers, dark trousers - the "uniform" of former Chancellor Merkel
So what can women do about it? Some, like Angela Merkel, choose a uniform. Colorful blazers, dark pants, sometimes a necklace. At first everyone talks about it. At some point, however, like the men and their suits, the public got used to it. But no matter how you do it as a politician: sooner or later your wardrobe or physique will be commented on in some form: too tight, too loose, too colorful, too dark, too slim, too fat, too thin.
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That's why experts suggest not even starting the conversation. As soon as questions or comments are asked about shoes, clothes or hair, it is advisable to simply respond with sentences such as: "This has no place in the media", "This has no news value", or directly "We have to deal with this kind of to stop reporting on female candidates". Boom! Topic closed and now please ask questions about content, attitude, opinion.
Of course, this only works in interview situations.
As a society, we need to stop making these superficial assessments. And as media, we need to do our homework and be more concerned with what a politician is thinking, rather than what they are wearing. Because there really are more pressing issues.
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I like how Angela Merkel's deputy press spokesman at the time commented on the media excitement about the Chancellor's décolleté at an opera opening: ""
How about you? Do you also comment on the outfits or hairstyles of female politicians more often than on their male colleagues? And would you agree that all of us - media and individuals - should stop with this superficial assessment and focus on performance instead? Let's discuss it - in the comments on WDR.de or on social media.
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comments on the topic
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64 comments
Comment 63: Anna writes on February 6th, 2022, 6:34 p.m.:
Dear Liz, Thank you so much for this excellent statement!!!You speak to me!!!It doesn't matter if a woman looks like Barby or Miss World, as soon as an intelligent woman enters a successful and well-paid position, or dares to " social pigeonhole" and behave independently and independently, following their own lifelong dream, is criticized about their appearance. Instead of perceiving us women as a "whole" and recognizing our strength of character, we are attacked from many sides. Basically it's just envy that we strong energetic women don't give in to fear!!Dear Liz, please keep writing such excellent comments. You have my fullest support.
Comment 62: Susanne writes on February 6th, 2022, 4:25 p.m.:
https://www.dieunbeugsamen-film.de/ can sing a song about it!
More comments
Comment 61: Marco S. writes on February 6th, 2022, 3:46 p.m.:
Sorry for my criticism - but you of all people should know that if you write something on a topic, you feed further discussion. Every message or report/column only keeps the topic going and brings in new discussants on social media who announce that you stand behind the new opinion. This then creates new discussions where the topic is more alive than ever. Since it is completely independent of whether something is written and to call for reason. Everything according to the prevailing market law to promote the own reach of his journalistic product. Personally, I find it very difficult to believe that you ignored this positive effect when choosing your article. In any case, one thing you have not achieved now is that the discussions will decrease. A little more wise action would have been more appropriate here if you really wanted to make a positive difference - if!
