# Any Way A Female Congresswoman Could Send Out Crotch Shots And Stay In Congress? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242 "2011-06-12T20:16:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/21 "2011-06-13T13:58:45Z")
Yea, I’m not seeing a double standard here. If anything the reaction would be lighter. Any talk of resignation would be called puritanical and anti-women. She would be described as a free woman expressing her sexuality. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/22 "2011-06-13T14:31:25Z")
It really depends on how young and sexy the female congresswoman is as well as the tastefulness of the pics. The public will be far more forgiving for a younger woman, appreciating her beauty and at the same time making allowances for the boldness of the younger generation. There is no way that Nancy Pelosi could elicit that kind of response. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/23 "2011-06-13T14:57:13Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > It really depends on how young and sexy the female congresswoman is as well as the tastefulness of the pics. The public will be far more forgiving for a younger woman, appreciating her beauty and at the same time making allowances for the boldness of the younger generation. > > There is no way that Nancy Pelosi could elicit that kind of response. Actually, I also agree with this. If Nancy Pelosi did it, they would call her insane and say she went off the deep end. They would call for a special election due to representative dementia If it was a young, attractive, and popular representative, it would just be a young woman expressing her sexuality in today’s confusing world. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/24 "2011-06-13T17:28:00Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Best typo of the year! Typo? I spelled “naked” right!!! ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/25 "2011-06-13T17:39:07Z")
I think if it were a female politician, there would be more focus on how whoever received and leaked the pictures took advantage of her and abused her trust. I’ve not followed this all that closely, but from what I’ve read, in at least some of the cases, Weiner was pursued by the women, rather than the other way around. (In one instance that I recall, he wrote to one woman asking weren’t pictures enough?, and she responded that they were not, and that she wanted to do to him things that his wife would never do etc.) This angle has been the subject of zero focus, but this would not be the case if the genders were reversed. In general, society tends to view women as victims in their interaction with men. (As another example, female celebrities are frequently depicted as being victimized by their male flacks, while male celebrities are depicted as taking advantage of and using the groupies.) [On a related note, ISTM that one thing that makes this hard to see reversed is the different natures of men and women, WRT sexual imagery specifically. ISTM that men are more blunt and direct about it, and (possibly as both cause and result of this) tend to delineate more clearly sexual admiration from non-sexual admiration. A man might say he wants to do some sex act with some famous female, whether politician like Palin or some other celebrity, and this will generally mean simply that he wants to do this sex act with this person and nothing more or less than that (regardless of whether it’s actually true). But ISTM that women frequently say things like “I want to have your/so-and-so’s babies” or the like, and ultimately mean nothing more than that they really really admire this person. As a result of this, it’s sometimes difficult to interpret the meaning of statements of this sort made by women, and I think this can sometimes complicate relationships between admiring women and men, and make it difficult to sort out pursuer from pursued. By contrast, if the situation were reversed, it would generally be more clear as to who really did what.] ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/26 "2011-06-13T17:50:03Z")
Somewhat relevant question: did Laura Schlessinger’s reputation recover after similar images of her surfaced? I honestly don’t know–she’s under my radar. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/27 "2011-06-13T17:53:01Z")
Hard to say. She was fading at the time anyway. Beyond that, the situations are not remotely comparable. LS was not sending out pictures of herself to fans. An old boyfriend released the photos. The hit she took (to the extent she took one) is that even having a BF take nude pictures didn’t jibe with her later moral stances. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/28 "2011-06-13T20:05:07Z")
I, for one, would demand the congresswoman’s immediate resignation, so that she could concentrate more fully on her presidential campaign. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/29 "2011-06-13T20:40:30Z")
I find it puzzling that so many posters think a female politician would be able to get away with not only sexting and then repeatedly lying about it, but adultery. Really? I can’t even think of a woman in a position of power that has pulled a stunt like that, let alone one who has done it and managed to keep their job and reputation intact. Definitely can name some men who have done that or worse but survived well enough. Bill Clinton comes to mind. Elliott Spitzer is making big money at MSNBC. Newt Gingrich is making a go for the presidency, even though his cheating ways are hardly a secret. In contrast, I chuckle at the thought that a _single_ woman could get even away with Newt et al’s behavior and still be considered a viable presidential candidate, let alone a married one. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/30 "2011-06-13T21:16:27Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > I find it puzzling that so many posters think a female politician would be able to get away with not only sexting and then repeatedly lying about it, but adultery. Really? > > I can’t even think of a woman in a position of power that has pulled a stunt like that, let alone one who has done it and managed to keep their job and reputation intact. Definitely can name some men who have done that or worse but survived well enough. Bill Clinton comes to mind. Elliott Spitzer is making big money at MSNBC. Newt Gingrich is making a go for the presidency, even though his cheating ways are hardly a secret. > > In contrast, I chuckle at the thought that a _single_ woman could get even away with Newt et al’s behavior and still be considered a viable presidential candidate, let alone a married one. Nikki Haley was accused of such things, but nothing stuck. I guess there’s really no female equivalent of the blue cocktail dress. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/31 "2011-06-13T21:29:39Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > I find it puzzling that so many posters think a female politician would be able to get away with not only sexting and then repeatedly lying about it, but adultery. Really? > > I can’t even think of a woman in a position of power that has pulled a stunt like that, let alone one who has done it and managed to keep their job and reputation intact. Definitely can name some men who have done that or worse but survived well enough. Bill Clinton comes to mind. Elliott Spitzer is making big money at MSNBC. Newt Gingrich is making a go for the presidency, even though his cheating ways are hardly a secret. > > In contrast, I chuckle at the thought that a _single_ woman could get even away with Newt et al’s behavior and still be considered a viable presidential candidate, let alone a married one. I agree with this. I think if Pelosi were caught sending boob shoots to random twitter followerers, the reaction would be twofold: 1. She’d be villified as old, disgusting, pathetic 2. She’d be suspected of either inappropriately trying to influence voters or being under the thumb of some svengali who was encouraging her sexuality to try and influence her. Women in power have to be very careful to prevent others from writing them off as merely figureheads who get power for sex. I don’t think any current American female politician would be able to escape that perception if she started sexting with strangers. I don’t think the greater public genuinely respects female sexuality, especially outside of Hollywood-like scenarios involving blonde beach bunnies. ---
**Author:** ![samjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@samjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samjones)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/32 "2011-06-13T22:15:31Z")
I’m not sure you have alot of great candidates out there. Maybe Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) or Kristi Noem (R-SD). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/33 "2011-06-13T22:18:01Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > She’d be driven out possibly by violent mobs! Female elected officials are held to a higher standard. It’s a double standard and completely unfair but is a political fact of life. IIRC, Dopers were ready to Lynch Sarah Palin for posing in running shorts a year or two back. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/34 "2011-06-13T22:21:07Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > In contrast, I chuckle at the thought that a _single_ woman could get even away with Newt et al’s behavior and still be considered a viable presidential candidate, let alone a married one. I think they could. I’m kind of skeptical that there would be much of a double standard at all. But honestly, its hard to say simply because we’ve never had a high-profile female suffer a sex-scandal. I imagine as more woman enter the political scene, we’ll eventually have start to see some, and then we’ll know. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/35 "2011-06-13T23:13:04Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > IIRC, Dopers were ready to Lynch Sarah Palin for posing in running shorts a year or two back. Don’t forget that when she winks she might as well be her sticking her hands down the American voter’s pants and giving their junk a nice, tender squeeze. At least according to a lot of Dopers. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/36 "2011-06-14T11:57:12Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Don’t forget that when she winks she might as well be her sticking her hands down the American voter’s pants and giving their junk a nice, tender squeeze. At least according to a lot of Dopers. I’d buy that for a dollar. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/37 "2011-06-14T12:12:25Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > IIRC, Dopers were ready to Lynch Sarah Palin for posing in running shorts a year or two back. > [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Don’t forget that when she winks she might as well be her sticking her hands down the American voter’s pants and giving their junk a nice, tender squeeze. At least according to a lot of Dopers. This doesn’t sound right at all. If you’ve got some links, I’d love to see them. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/38 "2011-06-14T13:14:52Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > This doesn’t sound right at all. If you’ve got some links, I’d love to see them. [Is This Newsweek Cover of Palin Sexist?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=540344&highlight=sarah+palin+running+shorts) Have fun, it’s a biggie. Apologies in advance if just mentioning Palin’s going to derail this thread! One relevant comment from Dinsdale > [@](#): > > Well, I don’t think this is being portrayed by anyone as simply something “other than a suit.” > > Back on page 1 of this thread I asked if anyone could: > recall any previous incident where a national politician posed for a similar photo? And I’m not talking about candid shots … > > But no one has offered a posed photoshoot where a male politician sowed some thigh, bared his chest, etc. I guess you could make an argument for “candids” taken during clear photo ops - W in his flight suit, Dukakis in the tank. And I think it entirely appropriate for such images to be used by whomever for whatever purposes they wish. > > I have seen or read nothing in this thread to change my personal opinion that this was Just not how you want to pose if you want to portray yourself as presidential. One from Dangerosa > [@](#): > > Its sexist, but Palin wants it both ways. She wants to play up the sexy part of her persona, understanding that its appealing, but wants to cry sexist when it suits her. So while I think it was sexist, and I’m not sure it was a “fair move” - I also think she’s contributed heavily to people being able to be sexist about her. > > Few female U.S. national level politicians would have posed for Running World in shorts to start with. It would have been a full coverage jogging suit. Can you see Kay Bailey Hutchinson or Hillary posing like that? And Wesley Clark > [@](#): > > For the record, women need to learn if you are going to dress sexy and pose for cameras, you cannot claim to be a victim when someone looks at the photos. If you don’t want guys staring at your body, don’t bring attention to your body. Pretty simple. > > Also, if you don’t want to be a victim of sexism, then do not allow yourself to be picked for vice president because you are female, dumb and pretty and a certain segment of the electorate enjoys that. Palin had to know she was picked because she is pretty and a woman. > > She even tried to use her dumb, pretty persona during the Biden debates to her advantage (winking, bullshit like that). Now she wants to claim sexism. Ugh. I hate being a guy and having to put up with things this stupid and entitled. Can’t remember if someone’s clever enough to bring up Scott Brown. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242/39 "2011-06-14T16:02:15Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > Can’t remember if someone’s clever enough to bring up Scott Brown. There was no outcry on this board regarding these titillating shots of a half-naked [Aaron Schock](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/rep-aaron-schock-reveals-abs-on-mens-health-cover-photos--but-how-will-it-play-in-peoria/2011/05/09/AFijOLcG_blog.html). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-a-female-congresswoman-could-send-out-crotch-shots-and-stay-in-congress/585242.md?page=1)