Calling It Sexism Isn’t “Whining”
Megan McCain recently interviewed Congresswoman Michele Bachmann for The Daily Beast and got her thoughts on sexism in politics and Presidential election. Bachmann gave some insight into her experience campaigning and the gender-barriers she faced.
Now, we know not everyone agrees with Michele Bachmann. She was, however, the first woman to win the Iowa Straw Poll, and the one Republican female presidential candidate to win a delegate since 1964. We must not overlook her successes as a strong woman who has made an impact on Capitol Hill and helped change the face of politics for women.
However, it is no secret that during her campaign, Bachmann was treated unfairly by the media. She was often targeted her for her gender rather than her ideas. The barbs thrown at Bachmann were frequently degrading, sexist, and well documented by Name It. Change It.
Some lowlights: In November, Bachmann appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night Show while the Roots played the refrain from the song “Lyin’ Ass Bitch.” Newsweek put Bachmann on the cover, but selected an unflattering photo captioned it as “Queen of Rage.” Then, an unfortunate image of her eating a hot dog went viral across the internet with a variety of sexist captions.
Asked about sexism in the media, Bachman said, “I think that there is a different standard for women. I made a decision when I ran for president that I wouldn’t whine about my coverage in the media, and I never did. I wanted this to be a merit-based election, and I think that it had more to do with the fact that the left and center media sources don’t want to see strong conservative women be a role model.”
With all due respect to Congresswoman Bachmann, Name It. Change It. feels it does a disservice to all women in politics to turn media sexism into a partisan issue. As we’ve said before, sexism comes from the left as well as the right.
And calling out sexism when you see it is not “whining,” it’s just good politics. Our Name It. Change It. Candidate Guide to Sexist Media Coverage shows that calling out sexist comments as such actually improves voters’ perceptions of the candidate. Which is why Name It. Change It. encourages everyone to call out media sexism against candidates whenever you see it. You can report sexist media coverage here.
Published by Kate McCarthy on 06/21/2012