It would be near impossible to prevent commentary on the role gender plays in our perceptions of people with Hillary Cliton being the first female presidential candidate. But the amount of coverage it receives is ridiculous and extends not only to the other presidential candidates, but has gone as far as to label the two parties based on gender as well.

While many republicans have been trying to play up the republican candidate's super masculine featuresLink, and attempting to equate them with presidential qualifications (and simultaneously trying to feminize the democratic candidates as supposed proof of their ability to lead), Hillary is left with the task of becoming bi-gendered in order to remain gender neutral.


The democrats are often left desperately trying to prove their toughness and resolve, especially on foreign policy issues, and Hillary will have to prove this twice over--first to prove that she's not a "weak democrat" and then to prove that she's not a soft woman. 

I believe this is why it was even more important for her to refuse to call her vote on the Iraq war a mistake. Any democratic candidate who admits to having ever changed their mind in any way will risk being harshly labeled during the election, but for Senator Clinton, the risk is twice as high.

During the first couple of debates, I paid really close attention to how she looked, spoke and what mannerisms she used; not because I personally care or because I'm trying to single her out just because she's a woman but because I knew it would affect how others see her and I'm curious to see how it all plays out. I was really impressed with how she handled herself and couldn't help but notice little things, like how she never crossed her legs in any way, or how she managed to choose colors that were soft and flattering but not overly feminine. She looked good but not too pretty.

Ofcourse, while she must go out of her way to prove she can hold her own with the guys (and outshine them), she can't forget to remind people of her feminine qualities as well, or else she'll be the target of even more cruel, sexist accusations.

I wonder if future male presidential candidates will ever face the same predicament, mainly trying to harness what people percieve as the bets of both genders or if people can really move on to a superior point when it really is a non issue.

But it's also good to remember it could be much worse; while I often find myself becoming really defensive of Hillary Clinton, even though she's not my personal favorite candidate, because I think she's unfairly criticized by the popular press, at least she has yet to have to deal with something like this Link, which eerily reminded me of the scene in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' where McMurphy is so bothered by having women in control that his final desperate attempt to prove his sense of masculinity/dominance is to expose the nurse's bare breasts in front of everyone in order to degrade her/remind her that despite who she may think she is or what power she thinks she might have, she is underneath it all, just a woman.