In reading articles about Kagan’s nomination in many of the online “comment’s” sections below the article there is a steady stream of posters making snide comments on what a dog she is. This is kind of puzzling.
She’s not a model, she’s a perfectly normal looking 50 year old woman. Maybe she’s a bit tubby, but she’s not some nether beast.
They made the same comments about Albright and Reno. Cheap shots from the cheap seats.
I think it just comes from being a woman. For Palin you had the opposite, people saying how good she looked, especially for someone her age.
It’s not puzzling if you regularly read the comments people leave - what a bunch of morons.
Well… while I think what she says is often kind of stupid, Palin is (objectively) a damn good looking woman, but when she open her mouth all the sexy seems to fly away.
Have you ever considered that our culture might have a misogyny problem?
IMHO, a lot of this is because mot people aren’t used to seeing famous folks in the public eye who aren’t professionally styled, made-up etc. To see a normal 50 year old woman - i.e. some grey, some pounds, etc. is so different (and because they’re pigs) that they can’t help but comment.
In our culture, a 50+ woman on TV who is not there specifically for her good looks is still supposed to look like Barbara Walters.
I was once at a break table with a group of women during one of my summer jobs while in Vet School. One of them had a Susan B. Anthony dollar. Her comment was that for the first female on U.S. currency they should have picked a better looking women.
Meh. Black is slenderizing.
It used to be very common for articles/interviews about a woman would mention what she was wearing and that was not done for men. That reinforced the idea that looks are more important for a woman.
The nomination was announced over the weekend, so the talk radio hosts haven’t had a chance to distribute the official talking points yet. So these people don’t know how else to criticize her. By tonight, I expect they’ll all be talking about something on her record that sounds or seems extremist.
I was focusing on the fact that I thought the aesthetic judgement of Kagan was off base re her being hideous or manlike. Re the hated & contempt for women in American culture I’d have to ask relative to what? American women have more opportunity, freedom and social equality than 99 percent of the women on the rest of the planet. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than most other places.
Beyond this, is there a culture where women are not judged on their looks or desired for their bodies? The stricter Muslims control this with burqas. Unless you’re going to mandate that women travel around in bags you are going to be in a losing battle with male and female human nature.
It’s all they’ve got. They’re also calling her a lesbian. This is a regular thing that right wingers do to any prominent woman who is left of center. Janet Reno, Hillary, Madeline Albright, Michelle Obama. Any comment section is filled with invective about how ugly they are, and how they’re all lesbians (actually, Michelle Obama gets called an “ape” all the time). It’s pure misogyny (and unconcealed racism in Michelle Obama’s case).
I think it’s just code for “lesbian”.
I actually hope they do try to make her alleged orientation an issue. I think that would backfire on them big time. Nobody under 50 cares anymore.
You clearly don’t go to church anywhere in the bible belt. 
I read a comment that noted she was “unmarried” which I took as code for lesbian (otherwise why mention it?). I assume the lesbian accusations are just speculation, since I haven’t seen any legitimate sources mention it and it would be newsworthy if she were openly gay.
CBS news had a blogger said she was gay but later retracted the story. These days major media won’t report someone is gay unless the person admits it.
Here’s a rundown of the whole CBS blogger flap.
Well, obviously appearance is an important aspect of being a Supreme Court Justice.
How else do you explain Antonin Scalia? Guy’s fucking hot.
Okay, I just threw up in my mouth a little.