The price of hair and makeup

And while we're on the subject of the great male-female political divide....

How concerned should we be about Clinton's cosmetics? Michael Kinsley lights a firecracker in this Slate article with his suggestion that a female candidate spends at least half an hour more primping each day than her male counterparts. He goes on to calculate:

No one will care whether the president is well-coiffed when answering that 3 a.m. phone call. But in a close-fought election campaign, every minute counts. If you figure 20 minutes a day over a year and a half of 14-hour days and six-day weeks, it comes out to an extra two weeks of campaigning or sleep for a male candidate.

Well any male candidate but those of the John Edwards 'I spend $400 on a haircut' variety.

Men have always spent as much time obsessing about their looks as women. Who's to say that Obama doesn't spend half an hour examining his pores or John McCain worrying about his wrinkles?

Furthermore, Kinsley has forgetten the female capacity to multitask.

It's ridiculous to assume that Clinton spends those thirty minutes fretting about which eyeshadow best matches her pantsuit. She may well be simultaneously holding a political briefing and running over speech notes.

And why not? After all, Maggie Thatcher was notorious for leaving her male colleagues flailing in her wake. And that was in the eighties when hair and makeup could take days.

Finally, who knows when the candidates make their big decisions? George Bush likes to jog three miles each day. JFK relaxed with the odd girlfriend. Barack Obama takes the times to read to his daughters. And for all we know, McCain may have his brainwaves in the bath.

Having the headspace to think is vital for a politician. None of these relaxation techniques lessen their ability to be or become President. If Hillary wants to take forty minutes to do her appearance, well good for her.

Alice Fishburn

Comments

[Niall Rowantree]

Margaret Thatcher seemed to manage fine...

[The 3rd Column]

Pity she never answered the woman who asked her how she did it, i.e., being well coiffed, made-up and whatever and who made her cry that gave her the New Hampshire victory.

[Lizbeth]

Mrs.Thatcher had a very polished, (fearsomly so)toilette to complete and, I understand, cooked her husband's breakfast before going to run the country. Doubtless, facing the problems of the day and the whimsical actions of the capricious leaders of other nations caused a few furrowed brow moments, and irritiation might cause one to tap one's carefully manicured finger but she still managed to look groomed more carefully than most prime ministers or presidents of recent memory. Don't think this is a problem at all.

[Stuart Beveridge]

She is spending much too much money that is not hers!

And where do the millions come from that she injects from her private accounts?

She should try telling the truth for one day in the week!

[David Lambert]

I can remember being taught in primary school that one should "never ever judge a book by the cover". I've since learnt that this also applies to make-up. Sadly it is a fact that just about everyone without exception ignores what is essentially very very good advice.

A possible rule of thumb for makeup is: The amount of make-up applied is the inverse of the depth of character squared by the ability to be deceitful plus vanity times selfishness.

Really can't see the point in covering ones face in so much goo that one has to mark where ones lips are just so people know what to kiss.

Is Hilary's war-paint?

[Jim Laflin]

Aren't you all forgetting something?

How big are Hillary's breasts?

[John Chuckman, Toronto, Canada]

She needs her make-up.

Men get away with saggy, pouchy, lined faces - witness McCain who sometimes resembles a corpse - and women do not.

I don't wish to be cruel, but have you seen pictures of Hillary with her make-up fading?

Here's one of a number:

http://bp3.blogger.com/_NtgXlrcvXZA/R-K5m6DE4bI/AAAAAAAAL1E/lhMEi4m4FXw/s1600-h/Hillary2.jpg

[Adam Neilson]

"...forgetting...the female capacity to multitask."

Danny, you disappoint me. That's an outright misconception, albeit one that is so widespread it has seeped its way into the conscience (and jokes) of the British. Nobody can really mulitask at 100%, despite what they may think, and the proportion of men who can do it to a reasonable level of efficiency is similar to the proportion of women, as by a number of studies that have investigate the matter in detail.

[Elan Durham]

All Americans have to do to answer this question is remember the speech Nixon made, during which he was shown on national television to be sweating and Kennedy was shown to be telegenic and suave.

More recently, there were objections to John Kerry in the last election because he appeared to be too complicated and appreciated nuances.

Americans like clear cut appearances and definitions, but if they're shown the machinations by which these appearances are produced, they throw up.

[kernel joe]

I think press is made up of really dumb people in US, I see more of these non issues coming up more often then they should ... attack them on their ideology or views.

but, I'm getting dumber too :( I never used to click on such stupid headlines before.

[Lou]

Funny to watch so many fail a basic litmus test of fairness...

[frank]

No amount of makeup can hide Hillary's sociopathic lying which she dismisses as "mispoke" when caught.

[Carol Boyle]

It does seem a little frivolous to think that Mrs. Clinton spends time on something not entirely necessary. But if she didn't bother with make-up, I think we would be hearing alot of snide comments about her image. People care about what the president looks like. It used to be said that politics was the Hollywood for ugly people, but not anymore. With internet and tv, politicians have to worry about what they look like. Because I garuntee their constituents do, subconsciously or not.

[Emma H.]

Men don't "get away" with anything. They need to work harder and to get rid of that grey hair. It looks so old.

[cwm]

You can put lipstick on the pig but you still have a pig!

[Albert]

If Bill is once again returned to the "White" House as executive member, will he once again have interns on his executive staff?

[Joe]

Ridiculous..we are on the brink of world wide chaos.. and make-up is the topic. Miss Alice Fishburn commented on a womens ability to multi-task. Between crying and a painted face.. Thats two.. Lets hope she has already gone through menopause

[Jim R Ryan]

Will Hllary ever wear a dress ? Real woman wear dresses !

[ben]

how long does it take for a man to shave?

[John P]

I've got to be honest, I find too much make-up a bit sickly, and representitive of inadequacy. So Hilary's over-use is symptomatic of what the woman is all about. I mean, we have a ""socialist government", and look at the bunch of prize berks they are.

[R. Hill]

Through my many years I have come to learn the inside of the head, not the outside, is most important!

[Peggie Biessmann]

If Hillary makes president, I think it infinitely preferable that she rushes in with the wrong red lipstick than that she rushes to push the destructive red button at 3 am

[~LeftCoastCurmudgeon]

How much pancake makeup does it take to hide an ever-growing nose?

[Mary]

To bring some levity to this discussion -

Who, among her campaign staff, talked Senator Clinton into donning a dog's scarve with shamrocks all over it during all of her March 17th public appearances?

That staff member should be punished by watching 1,000 hours nonstop of fashion makeover TV shows!

[I want a fighter '08]

What an idiotic article! Hey. . . you forgot to figure in the time that men spend. . . well. . . you know. That should add at least another 20 to their routine.

[NinaK]

Hillary does not always look up to par; there are times when she looks caked in makeup and other times she looks like she just ran a comb through her hair and did not put fresh make up on. She many times looks rumpled in her pantsuits. I don't know if she has help; but those jackets she wears are way too tight--notice she rarely buttons them up? The style is off, those flared jackets only make her already large bottom and hips look even larger. But, then, Hillary never was big on style. Lately, Hillary has been looking really aged and the lines on her forehead, crowsfeet, and the lines on her cheeks have become prominent. I did notice her hair has been dyed brown with highlights, so she must have had her hair done recently. She is NO Margaret Thatcher, Jackie O, or Laura Bush, that's for sure!

[ScottOnCapeCod.com]

But think of the time she saves with those pantsuits... Some days 20 minutes is no where near enough time... for example:
http://thumbsnap.com/v/kOSVzOIh.jpg

[Frank Upton]

Tony Blair used to wear plenty of slap, while Gordon Brown has gone to the trouble of having electrodes implanted in his face so that his aides can make him smile by remote control.

[Jas]

Mrs Clinton reminds me of those old stars of the silver screen that could get into a fight fall down a bank into the river and emerge wityh their hat on at exactly the right angle and clothes all pressed, nothing out of place. On the other hand Mr Obama is a light weight that would crumple in front of his huge funders who will demand their pound of flesh.
What America wants and needs is a less glitsy person who has made mistakes like Churchill and who has shown huge courage in his life in real life battles and was captured in a prisoner of war camp and would not leave ahead of his comrades. Thats character. Thats John McCain.
P.S Show me a man that hasn't made a mistake and I will show you a man that has done nothing.

[Carl]

Ugly is as Ugly does