21 January, 2009 | Leave a Comment
I’m so glad Inauguration Day is over. I have no time to worship “Great Men.” The whole spectacle is distasteful.
I said I would avoid the news coverage yesterday, but it was unavoidable to some extent. I was so angry at the obsession over what Michelle Obama was wearing throughout the day. Obama is the Great Man who will reshape America, Michelle just has to look good. If that doesn’t sum up the Western view of gender roles, nothing does.
I want to weep for all the little girls who see that idea reinforced again and again, including yesterday at the inauguration of the Great Man. The power of this symbolism cannot be underestimated. Hillary Clinton ran for president and was beaten into submission by Obama’s supporters and the press. Now the world has its rightful order again. A man is president. A man is vice-president. The right-wing pig that Obama chose to say the prayer at the inauguration opened the whole thing by invoking ‘God our Father.’ And women are judged solely on how they look while standing at their husband’s side. Well done, America.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
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Mam'zelle Lulu Says:
January 21st, 2009 at 11:39 amI just wanted to say that it is very refreshing to read the opinion of someone who doesn’t praise Obama in every sentence.
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jpeeps Says:
January 21st, 2009 at 4:02 pmYou wouldn’t be writing this stuff if it had been Hillary. I drop by here every once in a while, but it’s getting kind of whiney lately.
I think you need some perspective – “The right-wing pig Obama” doesn’t offend, but it aint true . And as to “Hillary Clinton ran for president and was beaten into submission by Obama’s supporters and the press” – I’ve seen you assert this several times over the last year but not once seen 1) any substantiation from you on why you think this or 2) read any acknowlegment by you that Hillary’s team behaved pretty shittily on occasion. Personally, I think Hillary was fine starting out, but blew it because OB’s campaign was better.Ultimately – write what you like – it’s your blog, but sour grapes are not attractive – just saying…
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Mam’zelle: Thanks for your comments.
Jpeeps: I didn’t call Obama a right-wing pig. He chose a right-wing pig to say the prayer at his inauguration, Rick Warren. I don’t use the phrase “right wing pig” lightly.
This blog is filled with examples of misogyny coming from the press and Obama’s campaign directed towards Hillary and women in general, which has been posted here for more than a year. I have also said in postings and comments that I do not think Hillary Clinton is perfect or even an ideal candidate. I won’t be voting for Democrats again, and that includes Hillary if she runs for president in the future.
This isn’t about Hillary Clinton. It stopped being about her ages ago. Hillary and her treatment are just an example of the patriarchal machine that is U.S. politics, Democrat or Republican, and that is what I object to. While the election of Obama is a chance to celebrate the breaking down of racial barriers, barriers for millions of others still exist, including women of all races. I’m sick of seeing traditional gender roles reinforced time and again. It is harmful for young girls. If you want to call that sour grapes, go ahead, but you’ve missed the whole point of my argument.
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Can’t you find anything to celebrate in the breaking down of the racial barrier, then? Do you consider Obama himself a misogynist, or just some of his supporters?
I respect your views, and anyone who champions feminism. We don’t yet have our first female president of the United States, true. Several other nations have gotten there before us. But here’s a historic first–a black president. A first among Western nations. Nothing to celebrate there, really? Nothing at all?
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After this election, I can’t feel elated about anything to do with politics. I saw too much that was disgusting coming from Obama supporters, the Democrats and the media. It still bothers me and it’s not something I will forget anytime soon. So while it is an achievement to break the racial barrier, the whole world is doing nothing but talking about it and heaping praise on Obama in a grandiose fashion. I don’t feel the need to contribute. Instead, I will present an alternative point of view, which I think is important given the “group think” that exists today on Obama. The media have disgraced themselves throughout this campaign, including this week, by failing to look at Obama in a critical way, as they should any political leader.
I don’t think Obama is a misogynist. Very little of my harsh comments surrounding this whole election have to do with Obama himself. I have very little sense of who he is as a person or a politician, since he is not a person with a long public record (one of my problems with him). It’s many of his supporters I’ve had problems with and they have poisoned my feelings about this whole situation.
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Jan Says:
January 21st, 2009 at 11:46 pmWhile I often disagree with anything said for the sake of disagreeing and of a good verbal battle, let me express my support to Anglofille. Your entries did not have much to do with an analysis of Obama’s programme or Clinton’s views on Iraq. What they did show, and that quite brilliantly, was the distortions and bias of the media, the fact that we hardly thought of the candidates as politicians, mediated on what they said and evaluated how they were going to achieve what they aimed at. You showed us how we are all sliding on the media-created surface, the simulacrum of images and cliches produced by the media hardly to inform and educate, but to mislead in insidious and vicious ways. The post on Michelle is thus symptomatic. You do not say “the dress was good because…” or “the dress was bad because…”. Instead you show and analyse the fact of compulsive media interest in her as a sexy gadget and possible reasons behind it, both in terms of their roots, and effects. Your entries were thus less about politics per se, more about the culture and politics of (media) representation and its effect on society and their political and social choices. You go girl!
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Jan Says:
January 21st, 2009 at 11:55 pmAnd to prove my point:
Absolutely bloody typical. A role model for women across the world to emulate.
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SpliceGirl Says:
January 22nd, 2009 at 12:25 amAnglofille, you know I agree with Jan…keep up the critical eye, even if everyone else doesn’t get it. I think that everyone takes your posts to mean you hate Obama but you’re just being a voice of dissent and watching the presidency and the government with a critical eye. I personally don’t understand how SO MANY PEOPLE have gone completely love blind over this man. This country was built on voices of dissent but yet if we say anything disparaging over Obama, his campaign, the inauguration, anything, we are immediately labeled haters, people still upset McCain or Hillary didn’t win, sour grapes, people not wanting the country to be HOPEFUL and to CHANGE.
OF COURSE any SANE person wants this country to be better, to gain back our financial stability, to call troops home so there is no more death, to be more stable. Anyone who suggests otherwise is a complete nut-job. But you don’t have to support or even like Barack Obama or our horrid media to want those things.
The thing I find so hilarious is that if you DIDN’T dissent against President Bush you were labeled a right-wing psycho, an illiterate, and/or an evangelical Christian who was a raging sexist racist hillbilly. Now if you don’t SUPPORT Obama 100% you’re labeled a bitter loser who wants the world to hate us, to not ever have HOPE again, things never to change, and a racist. I’m sick of it. There is no critical eye watching this presidency and I find it disheartening and frightening. If President Bush would have spent 1/4 of what was spent on this inauguration we would have NEVER HEARD THE END OF IT.
And then reading the article that Jan linked to quite honestly made me tearful. And I’m not lying. I almost started crying. I’m so sick of it. Another woman as a fashion plate for the government. We haven’t come far at all and breaking one barrier means nothing to me if all the other barriers aren’t even RECOGNIZED to exist.
Here’s to four more years of keeping a watchful eye on Michelle, Sasha, and Malia Obama’s wardrobes. Sigh.
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Caroline Says:
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:10 amYes, we do slander eachother far too often.
Plenty of people worked against Bush, raised money, went door to door. Some were mocked, but may worked quietly. They ignored “labels.” Finally the bulk of Americans realized that they were right. It took too long, agreed, and it was a shame. But the US and the world were ready when their moment came. As Winston Churchill said, “Americans will do the right thing after they have exhausted every alternative.”
Pity really. But some people do have courage.
I live in NYC where the fashion industry — the more creative, non-retail-driven side of it — is having a lot of trouble. Really skilled, talented artists are struggling. I really liked that Michelle Obama selected an outfit by the inventive but reasonably priced (for couture) Cuban designer Isabel Toledo. Hope the pick can generate some excitement.
Anglofille, you lived in Paris and London, fashion capitals. As a feminist do you believe there is a place for fashion? It took me a long time to get there…
bestC
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Chris Says:
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:01 amHillary lost me when she showed her hawkish side. Her affirmative vote for the Use of Force against Iraq and her vote deeming the Iranian guard as terrorists were both done for political reasons. Since Hillary seems usually well prepared, it would be hard to conclude she voted that way because she didn’t do her homework. But instead of hawks today, we need more diplomats. So it will be interesting to see how she does in her new role and whether funding for Bill’s philanthropic work trips her up.
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That’s when Hillary lost me, too. I wanted a truly diplomatic, pacifistic personality in the White House. I decided I’d go with what I considered Obama’s good judgement over Hillary’s experience, since she had voted for war.
Splicegirl, I do appreciate voices of dissent and criticism. I only posted my original comment since the tone of the blog these days really does seem to be one rooting for things to go wrong. It’s not dispassionate, “let’s see what happens here”, objective kind of criticism. Sure, once in a while an “of course I’m hoping things will get better” gets thrown in, but the overall tone is so crushingly negative these days that those comments seem tacked on and less than heartfelt.
Anglofille clearly has a broken heart here, which I understand, and I respect her feelings. It seems to be getting sunk in a sort of rage, though, to begin to detest someone precisely and only because he’s too much adored by too many. At least give him the chance to mess up first. Don’t underestimate the ability of the public to turn on him if and when he falls short of his promises.
I really did mean to help when I suggested that Anglofille try to consider what might have inspired so many to premature adulation… 50 years ago lynchings were still going on all across the South. The chance to see a black person be elected president has been profoundly healing and emotional for many people. It’s almost impossible for a person not to be touched by this particular civil rights victory. It’s missing out on an important moment in a the long, bloody, heartbreaking history of civil rights in this country not to be a little moved, at least! Try to find some compassion for those people who find themselves a bit (or a lot) carried away in this moment… for many, it’s the very first time they’ve experienced any hope at all.
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I’m not sure how one knows I wasn’t “a little moved, at least,” by Obama’s becoming president. Please understand this blog is not an encyclopedic catalog of all my thoughts and feelings on every issue.
The tone of my posts is due to the fact that I can’t feel positive about the glorification of one person in such an extreme way. It’s not in my nature. Sorry. On another feminist blog I read sometimes, the author refers to Obama, admiringly, as The Messiah. Too many people have lost their common sense.
On another note, I think it does a great disservice to African-Americans that everyone seems to be declaring the end of racism now that Obama is president. The U.S. Senate had not one African-American member after Obama left. Now there is the man who the governor of Illinois chose to replace Obama. So now there’s one African-American senator and he wasn’t even elected. I’m not seeing the racial equality everyone keeps talking about. In fact, what I have seen is too many self-righteous white people patting themselves on the back and pretending we live in a country where racism no longer exists.
On a final note, what’s still fresh in my mind is Obama supporters telling me that Hillary deserved to lose the primary because “she’s a bitch.” If Hillary is a bitch, then so am I. Why? Because I speak my mind. Those sorts of comments aren’t easy to forget.
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Caroline: I have little interest in fashion and I feel that the fashion industry is a main contributor to the unrealistic standards of beauty that effect women in such a negative way. After all, in recent years at least a few catwalk models have died because they were too thin. Some countries now require designers to use models with a certain BMI. So no, I am no fan of the fashion industry and will not give one cent of my money to Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and those who sell their wares in department stores I visit.
I do like shopping for handmade jewelry and handbags in flea markets and such.
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Jan Says:
January 22nd, 2009 at 12:35 pmWho is she? Where did she go to school? What are her ambitions? Who does she want to be? How much prejudice has she overcome in her life? Again, everything is here. Just another day in world politics.
I am sorry to be going over the top, perhaps, but I guess more people learn their roles in society through publications like these than through the reading of peer-refereed journals of political science or sociology. The last time then!
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I’m not for the glorification of the President, either. I only wanted to point out that others’ glorification of him is nothing to hold against Obama himself.
I haven’t heard all of these declarations that racism in America is over and done. I know Obama has never said anything of kind… coming from a bi-racial family myself, I can say his Pittsburgh speech on race in America was one of the clearest, most pragmatic, and most straight-forward talks that I’ve ever heard, or essays that I’ve ever read on the subject. This is a matter in which I’m very well versed and a subject, obviously, close to my heart. Again, if a few (hundred?) thousand idiots are running around saying that the job is done and that racism is dead, so what? That’s not a reflection on anything Obama has ever said or done.
I’m glad to read that this blog does not represent the complete catalog of your thoughts, but I just wonder why you choose to keep to yourself any points of view that could possibly be construed as positive (or even objective). What I’ve read here time and time again is that Nothing Has Changed, Nothing Will Ever Change, and every time, expressed with such rancor. For the first time, a black person is President. That is change! As a nation we have a lot more changing to do. Let’s get to work.
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Joy, I do appreciate your comments.
It’s funny, though, that on the one hand, you’re telling me my blog is overwhelmingly negative, while others have said in the past and this week as well that I am too idealistic. So I can’t win no matter what I do!
The idea that Obama’s election signals the end of racism in America is widespread. That is my impression. I think *many* people in the US and Britain, at least white people, hold this view as a result of this election.
Yes, we have a black person as president, which is a change, I agree. But I hope you’ll agree with me that regardless, we still have a male president and a government *completely* dominated by men. That has not changed, and this is not good for women of any race. Given that so many Americans don’t see the lack of women in power as a problem, and in fact prefer it that way, I don’t have hope we’ll make great strides anytime soon on that front. This election has really highlighted that for me, hence my very passionate feelings about it.
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Caroline Says:
January 22nd, 2009 at 4:44 pmYou sometimes show the bitterness of the disappointed idealist whose standards and hopes are very (some might say impossibly) high. Therein lies the contradiction.
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Of course I respect that. Thanks, Anglofille.
Gorgeous shots in the sidebar, by the way, as usual! I always love looking at them. Happy Friday tomorrow, and enjoy your weekend..
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Ken Says:
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:06 pmCaroline: Just a fine point, but we can’t slander anybody on a website. We can “libel” them, and when we press the submit button we are “publishing” ( legal term of art) our libels, the key element.
Our Supreme Court, in New York Times v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964) (That’s a citation to page 254 of United States Reports, volume 376 for the interested) established what I can only call an implied de facto right to lie about public figures in this country. The very interesting legal issue would be: is anybody who posts here a public figure? Don’t wanna scare you Anglofille, but this is a great, great case waiting to happen! It’s going to get somebody in United States Reports one day.
Nobody knew nothing about blogs in 1964. I don’t know who Anglofille is, but I do know I post under my real first name. I assume a number of people do.
Anyway, Caroline, I get the joke about fashion. I am not a fashion plate. My basic suits are conservative, but very well tailored. Back when I used to get the actual. hard copy NY Times I admit I would peruse the occassional mens’ fashion issues for notions–accessories really. I like colorful shirts, and the odd loud tie. I am partial to cufflinks. My wife bought me a neat pair featuring a pair of 1941 Mercury Head dimes. I’m also partial to the diamond links she gave me. When I was single I commissioned a pair made out of Picture Jasper.
I also like pocket squares and hats. I’d like to score a couple of those really loud Brit chalkstripe suits, but I never saw them in Filene’s Basement, where I buy my suits.
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1. HRC lost the primary because she chose several people as campaign personnel (e.g. Mark Penn, Howard Wolfson, Harold Ickes, Mandy Grunwald) who ‘looked good on paper’ but ultimately could not deliver the goods that she required to win. President Obama exploited these weaknesses to win. This is what happens in a competition.
Yes people can be overwhelming with their Obamalove but I don’t put that on Obama — I put that on the last years of living under a President who refused to acknowledge any facts that disrupted his worldview.
George W. set up the conditions for some American voters to seek out and need a messiah type after his disastrous performance over the last eight years.
John McCain did nothing to counteract this than offer a boilerplate of Republican policies.
It is sad that people need a ‘hero’ to feel engaged in their lives but I accept that not everyone is as evolved and aware.
I can only hope that President Obama doesn’t see having rabid followers as a plus during his term.
2. Unfortunately, Rick Warren is a part of the American fabric as much as HRC, Bill Clinton, Clarence Thomas, Condi Rice, Barack Obama, Michael Jackson, Nina Simone, Bayard Rustin, Paris Hilton (to name a few people).
Yes his ugliness is a part of our humanity, too.
I think that’s the part that people are having a tough time swallowing. Bigotry and ignorance are a part of the American story. President Obama could have pretended that Warren was this mythical unicorn but instead he put him in front of us — some of us will reconsider of moments of inhumanity and some of us will revel in his bigotry.
Maybe Rick Warren has caused families of all races and classes to have discussions they wouldn’t have otherwise about Christianity, love, brotherhood and their conception of God. For that, his appearance on Tuesday would be worth something.
3. The obsession with Michelle’s attire is because we have a media who really doesn’t know what else to do. That’s how much she flummoxes the media elite.
Consider that most AA women who are in the media spotlight are Oprah, Beyonce, Tyra, Condi. These women are entertainers and a representative of the Bush regime. Michelle is thoroughly new.
There will be four years for the media to adjust to a new paradigm of having an AA woman who is not on the world stage to dance, sing or provide succor and guidance to the teeming masses.
I say give them time to adjust to a reality that so many people have lived with all of their lives.
I also say give Michelle Obama time to adjust to her new role as the First Lady of the United States.
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Who were these Obama supporters who said Clinton deserved to lose because they believed she was a bitch? How many actually said or wrote that? And did they truly reflect the views of most of Obama’s supporters? I guess I was lucky; the only jerks I heard refer to Clinton as a bitch were Republicans who seemed to be taunting me that my “side”’s nomination frontrunners were a ballbreaker and a colored dude, so they thought either way, we’d definitely lose in November. Well, ha to them, those close-minded, sexist bigots. As an Obama supporter, I apologize to Anglofille on behalf of the idiot sub-set of my fellow Kool-Aid drinkers.
Obama’s public record is relatively short. But when it comes to his treatment of and beliefs about women, his personal life says a lot. The most important people in his life have been women. (Brace yourself: the following is written with terrible grammar, but I haven’t time to do better.) His mother — an open-minded dreamer, a scholar, teacher, humanist. His grandmother — hard-working, driven, honorable. His sister — his friend, supporter, a teacher (who teaches at an all-girls school), who keeps his ego in check. His wife — his best friend, whip-smart, accomplished, his debating practice partner, another person who keeps that ego in check. His two daughters — whom he clearly loves with all his heart and hopes will have every opportunity to aim to follow in his footsteps, should they wish. And ultimately, Obama has never wavered on the issue of choice. So I’m glad to see in earlier comments the acknowledgement that Obama himself has never exhibited sexist pig tendencies.
However, yes, apparently some of his “followers” have done so, but please, let’s not assume that the majority of those who voted for Obama were sexist or anti-Clinton. Many people who are more than ready for a woman in the White House didn’t support Clinton for other reasons, but weren’t going to vote for her anyway just because she is a woman. This was a weird year where progressives were asked to make a choice between two superb candidates who offered potential to break two different biological-based barriers, gender and race.
I agree about the media’s untoward obsession with Michelle Obama’s wardrobe. It’s demeaning. She’s an Ivy League-educated attorney who’s been reduced to a political Barbie doll. I wonder if she minds or if she’s playing into it for now, to keep the media happy. We shall see.
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Ken Says:
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:37 pmThe two posts above say it all.
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Mrs X Says:
January 24th, 2009 at 7:21 pmbut don’t you wear a ‘designer’ fragrance?
Do you buy your Jo Malone at the flea markets as well?
Have you made it a point to check out if the products are tested on animals?
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Well, I don’t consider perfume to be part of the fashion industry, which is what this specific question was about. However, many big fashion designers do have their own perfumes, which I would not buy. Jo Malone does not use anorexic models to advertise her products, nor does she engage in any of the offensive practices so common amongst the fashion industry, so I have no problems with her company. She is not a major designer, just a London woman who makes perfume. According to her website, she does not test on animals.
That said, I do purchase Clinique products and Laura Mercier and other things. If I boycotted every company that did things I find offensive, I’d never shop anywhere. I have to choose my battles.
I like flea markets because I like handmade, quirky, one-of-a-kind things. This is one area of fashion that I enjoy – handmade products. You seem to be reading way too much into my comments.
