Chelsea Gets the Hillary Treatment
Looks like Chelsea Clinton is all grown up:
The softballs come gently, lobbed by voters who support her mother and are thrilled to see that the awkward duckling of the Clinton administration has become a glamorous swan.
That’s the opening line of a LA Times profile of Clinton daughter turned surrogate. Let see which ‘women politicians in the media’ boxes we can tick:
Her hair is long and highlighted blond. Her black flared jeans are tight, and her gray blazer nips at her small waist. She has a boyfriend, her own apartment and a terrier named Soren. (After the philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard.)
Hair, clothes, and martial status - check!
Mostly, her voice is low, slightly raspy like her dad’s, and curiously monotone.
Tone of voice - check! Though, also curiously, she’s being criticized for not being shrill. That’s new(ish).
…despite her poise occasionally slips into adolescent cadence, ending a statement with a question mark…
Subtle undermining of her competence - check!
Bonus points for checking the Hillary-Clinton-box of extremely unflattering photo!
Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a leading political media scholar, said in response to a different LA Times question: ‘I don’t think adult daughters are held to a different standard.’
Yeah, neither do I. And I bet Jamieson is annoyed that she was quoted in a story that reaffirmed so many of the double binds faced by women in the public sphere.
Via Jezebel
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April 21st, 2008 at 1:51 am
Ha it looks like that bodyguard is taking a photo
April 21st, 2008 at 8:04 am
I want her hair…
That aside, stories like this crush what little life is left in my soul.
April 21st, 2008 at 8:22 am
Or they make me want to stab. One or the other…
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:16 am
I have trouble feeling sympathy for chelsea when she’s little more than shill for her mom. She’s could be avoiding the spotlight if she wants to.
I mean sure, be nice, but when she gets aghast about a lewisky question, comon, it may have been a waste and all, but it was a major event in her dad’s presedency and hillary’s first ladicy (this is a real word maybe) and chelsea was there, etc, there are some valid question there.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:38 am
I’m hoping that you’re kidding, but if you’re not, here’s my response:
That’s bullshit. She was a kid and it’s not like people are bringing it up because they have legitimate questions or it has anything to do with policy or the like.
They want to watch her squirm about her dad banging an intern when she’s there to talk about her mother’s policies. They don’t ask those kind of questions of, say, BILL CLINTON who, you know, was actually there.
They’re asking her because she’s young and woman and they don’t need to respect her. Also - again… not about anything salient.
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Well sure it’s crass, but her mother should answer questions about her policies not her. because she’s the kid of a politition doesn’t give her any pedigree to speak to issues, She doesn’t need to be up there. Look at how the bush sons got ripped apart when they offered opinions on gw.