Rush Limbaugh wants to know if America wants to watch Hillary age, presumably he means the amount of media coverage she would receive as president. And the underlying implication being that her age somehow effects her abilities as president?
At first I was outraged at the headline. Just how sexist could that fat bigot be? But then I actually read the quote and took a breath and realized that it's a good question. Can America watch Hillary age? It's not a question of Hilliary trying to maintain a youthful appearance. God knows the last thing I want is for my president to be worried about Botox injections and chemical peels. It's more a question of can the American public accept the fact that a woman can maintain her relevance past the age of thirty.
Even the most accomplished women in the public eye have to at least be aware of their personal appearance, much more so than any man. Cleavage, dark roots, make-up, jewelry, hem length, heel height. None of these are issues that men have to question. Men have to decide: white shirt or blue? Striped tie or solid? Or if he's feeling really crazy does he go with a pattern?
For most of his life, most men are actually more prized as they age. On some visceral level it's assumed that a man becomes wiser as he ages. And if his looks diminish, the acquired wisdoms more than compensates him. Women are socially forbidden to evolve much past the age of thirty, and rarely recognized for being able to do anything more complicated than plan a wedding. Even today, a woman's chief value is measured by precisely how long she can sustain the illusion of youth. Jane Fonda turns seventy. "She looks fabulous." Judi Dench turns seventy. "She's a great actress." Who do you think stands a better chance of being on the cover of any publication in honor of her seventieth birthday? And what do you think the headline will read?
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