Today women can be anything they want. You only have to look in any field and you can see how many women are leading the pack. Indra Nooyi (CEO of PepsiCo) Meg Whitman (CEO and President Ebay) Ann Moore (Chairman and CEO Times Inc) Judy McGrath (CEO and Chairman MTV, Viacom Groups), Oprah Winfrey (Chairman Harpo Inc), etc. etc. and of course first and foremost in our minds right now, the likes of Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin in politics.
Shouldn’t this all be cause for encouragement? We, as women should be celebrating! However, as is so clearly illustrated by the news of how much money was spent on Sarah Palin’s appearance upon her nomination for the Vice Presidency; the new message is still the old message. Appearances, especially for women count! Sarah Palin the good old soccer Mom who equates with all women, especially those of the middle class was not good enough as she was – though we are supposed to believe it was merely her appearance and not her brain that needed a thorough make-over. In my opinion it should have been the other way around given her antiquated ideas of “the atrocity of abortion,” even in the case of rape victims, along with her ideas of abstinence only education, to name just a few. I feel the money would have been better spent on giving her some higher education; enlightenment of the brain would have been a more worthy campaign expenditure. However, be that as it may, an astounding $150,000 and counting was spent to make her look more Vice Presidential. And true to her nickname the Caribou Barbie, she was the ultimate doll; dressed by a professional stylist, her hairstyle chosen by an equally adept hairdresser, even her eyeglass frames (Kawasaki 704’s that start at $375) – they were all selected for her. Furthermore her face must have been in need of a lot of attention given that her make-up artist Amy Strozzi was paid $22,800 for 2 weeks work, and is now included as part of her entourage.
So with this news, we truly see the hypocrisy of it all. Had the soccer Mom Sarah Palin appeared before us in the Vice Presidential debates, and all the rest of her public appearances, would she have been taken seriously as the potential president in waiting? But now clothed to suit the public image of the position she hopes to attain, should she be considered any the more capable? And what happens once Nov. 4 election is over and her clothes are all donated to charity (as they profess), who will be left the soccer Mom or the Barbie? Let’s hope that the choice never has to be made with regard to the Vice President of the United States, it’s frightening enough to think of it in terms of a private citizen!
Tags: barbie, caribou barbie, mom, palin, politics, sara palin, sarah palin, soccer mom, vice president, women
October 25th, 2008
Somebody once gave me a refrigerator sticker that says, “Good clothes open all doors”. Given that I was in the fashion industry this seemed extremely appropriate. However, if this is the case I wonder what price or how many doors are opened by beauty? Far more than good clothes I can assure you! The price for beauty to be honest today is sky high. More than ever beauty is a commodity, traded daily just as surely as stocks and bonds. At this moment such and such a beautiful model is “the one”, sought after, pampered and indulged. But waiting in the wings right behind her is her replacement, because as any good merchant knows we are living in a consumer world where the newest and latest is everything; old news is no news. And she, like everything else is just one more commodity, to be used and passed up, as soon as her value that is her ability to sell merchandise is worn out. For what isn’t sold today without the conscious or subconscious image of a beautiful girl? And I do mean girl, because although she may appear to be a woman more often than not she is hardly more than a girl. This, my friends is without doubt one arena where women have the advantage, and for once earn a higher income than men! Products, as diverse as luxury clothing, perfumes, vacations, houses and even less prestigious items, such as basic household goods are all sold with the helping hand of a beautiful female image.
Today, if you catch the eye of a scout and are proven to be a marketable commodity, how valuable are you? The term Supermodel is almost too banal, because the likes of say a Kate Moss or a Gisele Bunchen can sell the gamut from Versace Couture to CoverGirl mascara; they are truly multi purpose. So what does that say about us, I mean us as in the term “women”? Are we so impressionable that we really think that by buying a Victoria Secret’s bra we are going to look like Heidi Klum, or any of the other gorgeous hair tossing beauties who sport their latest styles in front of us? That element of naiveté (to put it kindly) is what is implied to me when the surveys say that many female voters will vote for the Republicans now that Sarah Palin is on their ticket, and Hilary Clinton is no longer an option. It is as much to say that they are interchangeable because they are both women regardless of the fact that what they stand for is so totally different……have we gone back to the dark ages? However in their (whoever they may be) defense when sales rocket due to “celebrities” like Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan etc. wearing or carrying a certain item, one can hardly blame them for jumping to such inane conclusions! I realize that I may be speaking here of the younger members of our gender, but isn’t it still our responsibility to be good role models and teach them to be individuals and speak with their own minds and not those of the herd?
Furthermore, if you look behind this marketing veil, I hate to admit that you are sure to find men for the most part leading the pack. They are the puppeteers. Please, let’s take a stand and not allow ourselves to be the willing puppets manipulated by their unseen hands!
Tags: beauties, beauty, celebrities, clothing, commodity, consumer world, couture, CoverGirl, fashion industry, female image, gender, girl, goods, Hilary Clinton, household goods, individuals, Lindsay Lohan, luxury, marketable, merchandise, Paris Hilton, products, Republicans, role models, sarah palin, value, Versace, women
October 15th, 2008
