San Francisco Chronicle political reporter Carla Marinucci tweeted a shot of “humorous” buttons on sale at a Republican convention in Anaheim, CA over the weekend, which compare former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to a KFC menu item. Excuse me while I adjust my crinoline because we must have gone back in time about a hundred years.
While Marinucci tweeted later on that the buttons had been removed from sale, the fact that they even exist is appalling enough. This is certainly not an argument for or against Clinton in any way. The real matters at hand are much bigger than “right wing vs. left wing” and the speculation about whether Clinton will run for President in 2016. The fact that a woman is being compared to a fast food meal you can buy while objectifying her physical appearance could probably set the women’s movement back about 50 years. Not only that, but the idea that the public, not to mention politicans, are taking up their crusade against the former Secretary of State based on her looks rather than her politics is disconserting.
Though shocking and repulsive as this concept is to us, it appears that Mrs. Clinton has already addressed these issues, as she is credited with the following statement: “You may not agree with a woman, but to criticize her appearance — as opposed to her ideas or actions — isn’t doing anyone any favors, least of all you. Insulting a woman’s looks when they have nothing to do with the issue at hand implies a lack of comprehension on your part, an inability to engage in high-level thinking. You may think she’s ugly, but everyone else thinks you’re an idiot.”
An idiot, indeed.
photo credit: Cosmopolitan