December 27, 2006--Beach Walk
They’re playing sexual politics both in France and here. But here in a transgender mode while there it’s Fem all the way.
Ségolène Royal is the nominee of the Socialist Party for the upcoming presidential election, and she is given a very good chance of winning. Hillary Clinton is the presumptive frontrunner for the nomination of the Democratic Party, and if successful is given at least an even chance of winning the general election.
That’s where the similarities end—Ségolène (that’s how most French refer to her) is using her sex as an asset, representing herself as the mother-protector of the nation; Hillary on the other hand (that’s how most Americans refer to her) is running away from her sex by representing herself as our potential father-protector, more macho and tougher on the war in Iraq than former prisoner-or-war John McCain.
In “soft-power” France, where their cultured and socially-protected way of life is proudly proclaimed, Ségolène’s strategy is sound. She is pledged to protect and preserve their vaunted social safety net, months of vacation, lifetime employment, and early retirement entitlements. She models herself after Marianne, the mythic female who represents the ideals of the French Republic—both nurturer and warrior.
While they have their Marianne, we have our Uncle Sam who challengingly and eternally points his stern finger at us, saying “I want you!” So the last thing in the world we want in our leaders is a wimp, much less a female one. Thus we have Hillary attempting to assure us that she will be as fierce as Uncle Sam.
What is remarkable in France is that their politics is fraught with overt sexism of the lowest common denominator. Every female politician there has stories of being aggressively harassed—hit on in the hallways of the National Assembly, called Barbie Dolls behind their backs, and represented this year, as they were on the seasonal greeting card of the deputy mayor of Paris, by a close-up image of a vagina from a Courbet painting.
So it’s rough there and yet there is the Ségolène phenomenon. Rather than running as tougher than any man (they have Sarkozy doing that) she campaigns in what the NY Times describes as “flouncy skirts and close-cropped jackets” and the public apparently loves it. (Article linked below.)
Hillary on the other hand is never seen in anything resembling flouncy or close-cropped (except maybe her hair which is intentionally, don’t you think, a little butch) and always appears in those funky pant suits, seemingly of her own design.
But then here I go as well—talking snidely about her hair and outfits while trying to talk seriously about the situation and extracting a little insight from the cultural comparisons.
Clearly I require more consciousness raising; but since I’m in Florida, and it’s a magnificent morning, I think I’ll opt instead for a long walk on the beach. Maybe that will bring me to me senses.
Ségolène Royal is the nominee of the Socialist Party for the upcoming presidential election, and she is given a very good chance of winning. Hillary Clinton is the presumptive frontrunner for the nomination of the Democratic Party, and if successful is given at least an even chance of winning the general election.
That’s where the similarities end—Ségolène (that’s how most French refer to her) is using her sex as an asset, representing herself as the mother-protector of the nation; Hillary on the other hand (that’s how most Americans refer to her) is running away from her sex by representing herself as our potential father-protector, more macho and tougher on the war in Iraq than former prisoner-or-war John McCain.
In “soft-power” France, where their cultured and socially-protected way of life is proudly proclaimed, Ségolène’s strategy is sound. She is pledged to protect and preserve their vaunted social safety net, months of vacation, lifetime employment, and early retirement entitlements. She models herself after Marianne, the mythic female who represents the ideals of the French Republic—both nurturer and warrior.
While they have their Marianne, we have our Uncle Sam who challengingly and eternally points his stern finger at us, saying “I want you!” So the last thing in the world we want in our leaders is a wimp, much less a female one. Thus we have Hillary attempting to assure us that she will be as fierce as Uncle Sam.
What is remarkable in France is that their politics is fraught with overt sexism of the lowest common denominator. Every female politician there has stories of being aggressively harassed—hit on in the hallways of the National Assembly, called Barbie Dolls behind their backs, and represented this year, as they were on the seasonal greeting card of the deputy mayor of Paris, by a close-up image of a vagina from a Courbet painting.
So it’s rough there and yet there is the Ségolène phenomenon. Rather than running as tougher than any man (they have Sarkozy doing that) she campaigns in what the NY Times describes as “flouncy skirts and close-cropped jackets” and the public apparently loves it. (Article linked below.)
Hillary on the other hand is never seen in anything resembling flouncy or close-cropped (except maybe her hair which is intentionally, don’t you think, a little butch) and always appears in those funky pant suits, seemingly of her own design.
But then here I go as well—talking snidely about her hair and outfits while trying to talk seriously about the situation and extracting a little insight from the cultural comparisons.
Clearly I require more consciousness raising; but since I’m in Florida, and it’s a magnificent morning, I think I’ll opt instead for a long walk on the beach. Maybe that will bring me to me senses.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
11:32 AM
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