ephemera

thiswasunnecessary:

jwisser:

sailorbaby:

jwisser:

mirthchutney:

sofapizza:

itsfunnytome:

When you see it..

well played, internet.

Indeed.

I get that what I’m supposed to see is Leo, but what I actually see is—I feel—rather more important. This is a picture of the G8 Summit at Deauville on 26/27 May of this year, and the people in it are eight of the most powerful people in the world.

What really grabbed my attention in looking at this image is that only one of those eight people is a woman—and that while the seven men (not counting Leo, of course) are all wearing sober business suits, Angela Merkel is wearing a bright turquoise jacket that bares more skin than the men’s suits. I went and looked at a few other photos of Merkel with world leaders, and the difference is consistent: while the men wear sober suits, Merkel wears bright colours and slightly more bare skin.

This is not an indictment of Angela Merkel; far from it. The same is true at home. Female politicians like Hillary Clinton, Michele Bachmann, and Sarah Palin all frequently wear outfits (when in the public eye) that are colourful, upper-chest baring, or both. So here are my questions:

Do female politicians dress differently by choice, by necessity, or by social construction? If one of the latter is the case—if sober suits simply cannot be tailored for women (dubious) or if women wear eye-catching clothing because, even as world leaders, they are expected to do so—does it weaken their position? Is it reasonable that in 2011, female world leaders are expected to wear eye-catching clothing? Am I just looking for a fight, or is there something here worth discussing?

I think this falls into the feminine = unprofessional trap. I mean, if you’re interested in deconstructing gendered suiting, then go for it. But maybe Merkel wants to wear a more feminine, yet equally formal and appropriate, women’s suit. And still you know, lead a country. Maybe instead of asking “are women in politics socialized to dress femme, therefore weaker?” you should be asking “why are we socialized to perceive dressing femme as weaker?”

I think women in politics are often attacked for looking too feminine, so no, I don’t think Merkel is trying to dress “eye catching”-ly. From a high femme to a power femme, rock on with your turquoise, Merkel.

I don’t know enough about clothing or feminist theory to do a good job of deconstructing gendered suiting, which is why I threw my questions out there for more informed people (like yourself!) to answer.

With that said, I’m not sure I buy that I’m asking this question because I’m socialised to perceive dressing femme as weaker. And let me be clear: I’m not censuring Merkel or any of the other politicians I mentioned for dressing the way they do. My question is whether there’s pressure from the patriarchy for women in power to continue dressing in ways that set them apart from their male colleagues.

I sincerely hope that women politicians wear what they do because they want to. My concern is whether societal expectations (likely imposed by male gatekeepers) artificially limit their sartorial options, possibly with the goal of othering them in the public eye.

(With regard to women in power being attacked for looking too feminine, it’s a problem I’m genuinely not familiar with and would like to avoid contributing to. Would you mind providing me with a link to further reading I can do to educate myself?)

Maybe this is less about women being pressured to dress in a feminine way - Merkel might have just worn that suit because she liked it - and more about men being pressured to dress in a masculine way. A female politician has a choice to dress in bright or dark colors, but a male politician doesn’t have that choice - as you can see, all the men in this photograph are wearing dark suits that are virtually indistinguishable. None of them wear bright colors.

That’s a point that I hadn’t considered, and which may show unconscious biased thinking on my part, because I should have considered it—I’ve complained before about my clothing options feeling more limited than those of my female friends, especially when it comes to dressy clothes.

Here’s a flipside argument, though, and I think it’s the core of what I was trying to get at: aren’t female politicians discouraged from wearing the uniform of power that male politicians are expected to wear?

I really am open to all arguments on this issue; I don’t have a set opinion yet, so I’m playing devil’s advocate.