# Is this Newsweek cover of Palin sexist? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 17, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941 "2009-11-17T18:59:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**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:** [November 21, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/461 "2009-11-21T16:21:33Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > For those of you who are all, “How do you define flirting/being sexy? What’s sexy about a wink?” do you acknowledge that it can go the other way, too? I’ve read countless examples of women saying they felt violated or sexually harassed because of a guy even though what he said was innocuous but the way he looked at her or his tone of voice was kind of lecherous. Is it so hard to believe Sarah Palin’s a dumb bimbo who’s trying to raise votes by raising dicks? I know what you mean, but I’m not sure I’ve heard it used when the man doing the harassing was on television at the time or speaking to a large audience. The only time I have ever heard that _seriously_ is by serious nutjobs who think a celebrity is sending them secret message through their clothes, gestures and occasionally lyrics. **Hentor** , the two options you seem to offer up are that women are either ‘so strong, independent and self-sufficient that it is offensive for a man to even hold the door open for a woman.’ (Lord almighty, why does it always come down to open doors?) And, what, getting the vapors? I’m not sure what your links prove. If Palin took the advice to ‘do this,’ she’d have dyed her hair blond. Which would have… helped her avoid further scrutiny? And Palin almost became VP of the USA. I don’t agree with her politics or her methods, but it is hard to turn that into some sort of personal failure on her part. Again, if anything, it was disappointing to see people supporting her views and voting for her. It was pathetic. She was a sad excuse for a candidate (though hardly the only one). If she was chosen and people supported her based solely on her physical appearance, that is even more pathetic – but I’m not sure why the blame lies with her. If her sex appeal is that powerful, then perhaps she should be VP or even President – imagine what else she could do with it. ---
**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:** [November 21, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/462 "2009-11-21T16:25:02Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > and also suggested an array of other women, including Kay Bailey Huchison and Tammy Duckworth as models that women might choose to emulate for “do this.” One’s 66 and the other’s handicapped. Right. Those are two groups of women who aren’t hard to desexualize – in fact, they often don’t get a choice in the matter. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/463 "2009-11-21T16:32:25Z")
Women with disabilities can’t be sexy? Now who’s being sexist? ---
**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:** [November 21, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/464 "2009-11-21T16:40:17Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Yes, but in this case, if the picture is appropriate, how is it wrong of Newsweek to use it? I mean, either it’s too sexy and it’s an inappropriate photo. Or the photo is fine and it’s wrong of us to look at an attractive woman and say she’s being too sexy. Which is it? That’s as dense as asking why was it wrong when the right used [this](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/NikiNeilsen/ObamasRelatives.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php%3Ft%3D450625%26page%3D3&usg= __icRJ4-eSTuK25bFLRytovcZizlM=&h=380&w=468&sz=80&hl=en&start=19&sig2=rH6z85rlqmgcIcDFHarT7Q&um=1&tbnid=njST5MsBpKVjdM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dobama%2Bkenya%2Brelatives%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4ACGW_en___ US343%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&ei=vxQIS_PoMI21tgflupiVCA) pic of Obama and his relative’s when they were casting aspersions about his candidancy. There’s nothing wrong with the picture at all, in an absolute sense, right? But it’s use _in context_ conveyed a negative statement about Obama’s African roots…just as Palin’s pic conveys a negative statement about her looks. I’m sure **Hentor** and **Diogenes** were the first in line to cry foul during the Kenyan family flap. But now all of the sudden they’re acting like they don’t even know what the word context means? And you too? Very disappointing. ---
**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:** [November 21, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/465 "2009-11-21T16:47:22Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Women with disabilities can’t be sexy? Now who’s being sexist? The person who regularly works with girls and women with physical disabilities who complain about being desexualized, outside of fetish sites? ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/466 "2009-11-21T16:55:52Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > **Hentor** , the two options you seem to offer up are that women are either ‘so strong, independent and self-sufficient that it is offensive for a man to even hold the door open for a woman.’ (Lord almighty, why does it always come down to open doors?) And, what, getting the vapors? Those aren’t my options. Those are two extremes advanced in this thread, one by **Shot from Guns** and one by you. Although I find **Shot from Guns’s** position to be a bit militant for me, I vastly prefer it to your position. Women are not so weak and stupid that they are at a loss as to how to deal with expectations. To the contrary, most figure it out quite well. > [@](#): > > I’m not sure what your links prove. If Palin took the advice to ‘do this,’ she’d have dyed her hair blond. I guess if you think women are painfully stupid, you’d also come up with this. No, the links prove nothing, they merely suggest that some women have no problem dressing and comporting themselves professionally, and others do not. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/467 "2009-11-21T17:00:14Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > That’s as dense as asking why was it wrong when the right used [this](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/NikiNeilsen/ObamasRelatives.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php%3Ft%3D450625%26page%3D3&usg= __icRJ4-eSTuK25bFLRytovcZizlM=&h=380&w=468&sz=80&hl=en&start=19&sig2=rH6z85rlqmgcIcDFHarT7Q&um=1&tbnid=njST5MsBpKVjdM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dobama%2Bkenya%2Brelatives%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4ACGW_en___ US343%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&ei=vxQIS_PoMI21tgflupiVCA) pic of Obama and his relative’s when they were casting aspersions about his candidancy. > > There’s nothing wrong with the picture at all, in an absolute sense, right? But it’s use _in context_ conveyed a negative statement about Obama’s African roots…just as Palin’s pic conveys a negative statement about her looks. I’m sure **Hentor** and **Diogenes** were the first in line to cry foul during the Kenyan family flap. But now all of the sudden they’re acting like they don’t even know what the word context means? And you too? Very disappointing. Not at all disappointing - **Freudian Slit** is a voice of reason that you are painfully ignoring - contorting yourself, in order to ignore, in fact. You see equivalence in the Kenyan family nonsense and this picture? Wow. Nobody’s making you defend Palin. Palin’s successfully tagged you in your Achille’s Heel, and you’re obligingly going into a contortionist’s routine. ---
**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:** [November 21, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/468 "2009-11-21T17:05:40Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Not at all disappointing - **Freudian Slit** is a voice of reason that you are painfully ignoring - contorting yourself, in order to ignore, in fact. Hey, have you gotten around to thinking of any other ways Palin has tried to seduce you? I mean, other than that which I’ve already debunked as pure foolishness. No? Still got nothing? I thought so. Please don’t talk to me about voices of reason. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/469 "2009-11-21T17:10:59Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > The person who regularly works with girls and women with physical disabilities who complain about being desexualized, outside of fetish sites? I work with people with physical disabilities too. Aren’t we both fucking noble. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/470 "2009-11-21T18:08:06Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Women with disabilities can’t be sexy? Now who’s being sexist? Haven’t we already went to the trouble to define sexism not to include merely finding or not finding people sexy? ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/471 "2009-11-21T18:13:13Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > For those of you who are all, “How do you define flirting/being sexy? What’s sexy about a wink?” do you acknowledge that it can go the other way, too? I’ve read countless examples of women saying they felt violated or sexually harassed because of a guy even though what he said was innocuous but the way he looked at her or his tone of voice was kind of lecherous. Is it so hard to believe Sarah Palin’s a dumb bimbo who’s trying to raise votes by raising dicks? Right. This conversation isn’t going to go anywhere, because people here are apparently oblivious to what flirting is, and want to reduce it down to a single action that is created equal in all circumstances. The whole “A wink is not flirting, because someone else did winked, and that was not flirting” bit is ridiculous. I’ve been winked at by small children and have never thought, “Holy shit, that six year old is flirting with me!” Rather, flirting is a collection of behaviors that some people are clearly missing. The stilettos (seriously, I can think of 4 pairs of stilettos that I own off the top of my head right now, and I have never worn a pair to work even once), the winking, the posing in hot pants and shiny nylons for a photo spread. The little shorts and glossed up legs do not say “Look, I’m a runner,” it says “Look at my legs.” There were other photos in the spread which were normal looking runner photos, and then there was the tart picture. > [@bengangmo](#): > > That’s one way of looking at it, what many others believe however is that > Because Palin is not (cannot be) taken seriously she is reduced to trying to get publicity by posing in bimbo poses. > > You say - (we think that) she looks hot so is not to be taken seriously > I say - as a substitute for being taken seriously she tries to look hot Yeah. This is not some war on Sarah Palin because she’s attractive. Hell, I don’t think she’s attractive at all, but apparently she is because people keep telling me she is over and over again. In any case, we’ve seen (attractive) women before and there’s nothing to discuss about those women because they don’t behave as Palin does. This is the part when folks claim there’s nothing out of the ordinary about her behavior, and I say never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/472 "2009-11-21T18:18:14Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Hey, have you gotten around to thinking of any other ways Palin has tried to seduce you? I mean, other than that which I’ve already debunked as pure foolishness. > > No? Still got nothing? I thought so. > > Please don’t talk to me about voices of reason. When did I say she was trying to seduce me? I said she winked at the camera during the debates. You keep saying that Bush winked all the time and linking to pictures of him winking at people, and saying “Aha!” as if you’ve laid down some kind of logic on everyone. Nice work! You’re the one who simultaneously wants this picture to be provocative, so that Newsweek appears sexist, and non-provocative, so that only a sex-freak would pay any attention to it. You also want it to be like Obama’s Kenyan photograph. Perhaps if you had not skipped over most of my post explaining the picture when you were having your little temper tantrum, you might not be ducking and weaving so frantically at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/473 "2009-11-21T18:22:12Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > There were other photos in the spread which were normal looking runner photos, and then there was the tart picture. And we’ve never quite gotten a good explanation for the different clothes in that particular picture, huh? Some people apparently missed out on the Sesame Street segment where they always sang, “Three of these things belong together. One of these things just doesn’t belong.” ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/474 "2009-11-21T18:35:18Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I work with people with physical disabilities too. Aren’t we both fucking noble. Masturbation doesn’t count. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/475 "2009-11-21T19:07:57Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > One’s 66 and the other’s handicapped. Right. Those are two groups of women who aren’t hard to desexualize – in fact, they often don’t get a choice in the matter. Perhaps I could introduce you to Aimee Mullins: > **[Introducing Our Guest Editor: Aimee Mullins](https://gizmodo.com/introducing-our-guest-editor-aimee-mullins-5399767)** > > Before she was a year old, Aimee Mullins had both legs amputated below the knee. Her family doctor said she’d never learn to walk. At the age of 19, she Sexy, Smart, disabled (not that you could prove it by me), and seems to be a VERY impressive person. [http://www.ted.com/talks/aimee\_mullins\_prosthetic\_aesthetics.html](http://www.ted.com/talks/aimee_mullins_prosthetic_aesthetics.html) I guess the problem I have with all this is: So what if someone is sexy? Our problem with Palin is: That seems to be all she has at this point. Her performance continues to reinforce that opinion. The overriding impression I have was they picked her for the ‘Woman vote that was pissed the Dems picked Obama over Hilary’…and that they didn’t give it any more thought than that. It sounded like the Republican was trying to win an election and the Democrats was trying to be President. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/476 "2009-11-21T19:23:16Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > What do you think is being communicated by Newsweek in their display of Palin in running shorts? > > Before you answer that, consider this thought experiment. JFK Jr. was quite the hottie before his death and some even considered him an empty-suit who skated by on his pedigree and handsome looks. But would a magazine critical of him had had much much success in conveying their criticism simply by showing a pic of him like the one on the left [here](http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2009/galleries/jfkjr/john-f-kennedy-jr-6.jpg) as a stand alone? Doubt it. Probably would backfire because his attractiveness was generally seen as a positive thing, not a negative. > > The message I get from Newsweek’s use of the cover is that Palin’s attractiveness is grounds for dismissing her credibility. I’d get the same impression if I saw that pic of JFK Jr. used in the same manner (which would be highly unlikely given his male status…which is where the sexism comes into play.) It’s not her lack of intelligence and her polarizing views that I’m compelled to pay attention to, but the fact that she has nice legs and she poses like a pageant queen. These are things I could care less about and IMO, so should everyone else (fans and detractors, both). > > I get this impression specifically because the picture isn’t ridiculous enough for political satire, so we’re left to conclude that the most obvious thing (her attractiveness) is the punchline. Taft could not get elected today because he was obese. Since TV entered our homes, looks have been a factor in politics. Nixon’s 5 o’clock shadow against Kennedy’s good looks, matters. Dukakis looking a fool while in a tank, hurt him. Kerry’d surf boarding harmed his campaign. Stevenson putting his shoes up and revealing a hole in his shoe, got big play. Palin’s looks are an asset. When they put that picture on their cover they were helping her out. ---
**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:** [November 21, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/477 "2009-11-21T19:26:07Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > You’re the one who simultaneously wants this picture to be provocative, so that Newsweek appears sexist, and non-provocative, so that only a sex-freak would pay any attention to it. What I’m confused about is you 1) saying the pic isn’t sexually provocative or inappropriate but then 2) using it as a reason to dismiss Palin as a serious politician. Your reasoning (“She has a blackberry in hand but she’s dressed in running shorts!!” and “A flag is drapped across her chair!”) is a hilariously weak defense for this point of view. So if anyone is trying to have it both ways in this discussion, it’s you. To accuse me of that is to brush aside everything I’ve said about context, which only reveals you to be deliberately obtuse when partisanship stands between you and a principled position. ---
**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:** [November 21, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/478 "2009-11-21T19:29:04Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Palin’s looks are an asset. When they put that picture on their cover they were helping her out. Well, at least you’re being honest and saying they are using her looks to make a statement about her. ---
**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:** [November 21, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/479 "2009-11-21T19:53:04Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > You say - (we think that) she looks hot so is not to be taken seriously > I say - as a substitute for being taken seriously she tries to look hot I perfectly understand that this is what you and other people’s position is. The problem is that its a position that can’t be effectively supported and yet its used as a catchall defense for a lot of anti-Palin rhetoric. Yes, the woman tries to look attractive. She likes her heels and she gets her hair done and she wears makeup. But believe it or not, these things don’t add up to bimbo harlot. If she had the brains and acumen to play in the big leagues, I wouldn’t automatically expect her to stop wearing heels and doing her hair and wearing makeup. These things have no bearing on her credibility. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941/480 "2009-11-21T21:09:23Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Well, at least you’re being honest and saying they are using her looks to make a statement about her. The statement is she is pretty. It reveals nothing else unless you believe people who are overweight are lazy and don’t care. Then the fact she is in good shape and not fat would be an asset. I don’t see what it has to do with the job of president. I can not believe anyone would want her in the oval office. She quit as governor for crying out loud. She shows ,she is an opportunistic bitch who is trying to get rich. She is peddling her co-written book for all she can get. She ran from her Alaskan responsibilities when she found out how much money a book would make her. It was unforgivable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-newsweek-cover-of-palin-sexist/517941.md?page=25)