December 19, 2010

"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton grew out her hair."

"It was a fine rebuke to the accepted adage that a woman of a certain age must cut her hair - a symbolic gesture that she is leaving sex appeal and youthful flirtatiousness behind. Clinton's flattering shoulder-length style was a reminder to women who have unhappily submitted to the scissors that they should not allow cultural assumptions to dictate their own perceptions about themselves."

Writes Robin Givhan, collecting the "Best of 2010" items (from her fashion beat). Now, why did Hillary grow her hair out"? ("Grow your hair out" is a funny expression. It's not as if you can grow your hair in. I mean, ingrown hairs aside.) Did she grow her hair to express her perception about herself or to remind other women that they need not adopt the culture's assumptions about themselves? Was she trying to say — via hair — I think I'm sexy or you older women ought to feel that you're sexy and say it with hair? I think she was copying Sarah Palin.

But Sarah is quite a bit younger than Hillary, and the same thing looks different with an older face (and the texture of an older person's hair is different). If you really want to say that long hair on a woman over the age of 60 says sexy, then show us some examples of women that old who look sexier because of their long hair. Or is the point only how you subjectively feel. You don't actually look sexier with that long hair, but we know that it seems that way to you — though maybe signaling that you believe you're sexy is enough to make you look sexier.

But come on! Hillary isn't trying to say I'm sexy. She's trying to say I'm trustworthy and highly competent. Perhaps she's succeeded — look.

48 comments:

The Scythian said...

Damned women hogging up all the attention, first with their huge vaginas and now with their hair!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jason (the commenter) said...

"Look at my face, not my cankles!"

KCFleming said...

Sampson's sister.


Bill is Delilah.

chickelit said...

Too bad Hillary couldn't be trying to say "I'm genuine and real too" or "I'm radiant too"?

Givhan is just swallowing the Sullivan kool-aid that Palin is an airhead.


wv = "shilypo"
That's just silly.

KCFleming said...

Mebbe now she's Medusa.


Don't look!

Psota said...

Hillary's hair does look great. Best thing to come out of the Obama Administration by far!

Unknown said...

Funny. I hate Hillary's hair long, and I think it ages her.

Or maybe it's the job....

Her hair was at it's best when she was running for the Senate in '00.

All the analysis is just pure silliness. Some women look better with short hair, no matter the age.

BAS said...

I think that picture says, don't wear stripes. Everyone knows not to wear stripes. If she was copying Palin she would stick to solids. BTW, I think her hair looks really nice in that picture.

I have a question though, why do people discuss Hilary's fashion choices but there does not seem to be much about Pelosi? Or I'm missing those articles? I think Pelosi is one of those women who transcend their gender. Thatcher and Jean Kirkpatrick were also like that. They were so impressive that you forgot they were male or female, it didn't matter.

Ned said...

Personality always/most of the time outweighs looks...gonna take more than longer hair for hillary...

ricpic said...

All the analysis is pure silliness.

The pure silliness lies in acquiescence to the claim that women, whose primary concerns always devolve to issues of hair length and fashion, will focus remotely as singlemindedly on affairs of state as men do.

Unknown said...

Robin Givhan is going to ooh and ahh over anything in this Administration, but Laura is right. Long hair doesn't look good on an older woman and Hillary, though not as much as Willie, is showing the mileage.

KCFleming said...

She wants long, straight, curly, fuzzy, snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty

Oily, greasy, fleecy, shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen

Sydney said...

That style looks good on her, but it in a Sarah Palin way. As long as she can keep up the blondness, she'll be able to pull it off.

virgil xenophon said...

Pogo betrays his age..

Anonymous said...

Another photo with Barack Obama looking down his nose at Hillary.

Uppity.

KCFleming said...

Our class sang songs from that musical back in 5th grade.

The nude scene was rather uncomfortable.

Anonymous said...

"I think that picture says, don't wear stripes."

No, I think the picture says: Don't wear the drapery.

Take a look at the background drapery. Compare and discuss.

Look folks ... none of the Democrats are sexy. They're all a bunch of Janet Renos and Janet Napalitanos and cankle-impaired Hillary Clintons.

If you're just too butt ugly to be a Republican ... you can always be a Democrat.

It's the party for ugly.

bagoh20 said...

Unfortunately, it's us men who actually grow OUT our hair... and it's never by choice.

Bender said...

I don't know about "sexy," but short old-lady hair certainly makes women of any age less attractive.

At the same time, that one pic I saw of Hillary, with the hair pulled back was not flattering. But then again, showing a humongous forehead on a woman is unflattering at any age. If it going to be pulled back or put up, it generally is going to need some bangs or something.

chickelit said...

Pogo: This is the Dawning of the Age of Austerity!


wv = undarm
Hair everywhere, down to there!

ricpic said...

There are some women who look fantastic in a pixy cut. Audrey Hepburn for one.

bagoh20 said...

Nothing is hotter than an attractive wingnut woman. When I think of a liberal woman, I never think of them as sexy, and always imagine them saying something along the lines of: "You're not doing it right."

A right wing woman knows how to lift her legs up by her own bootstraps. That's hot.

KCFleming said...

chickelit,

at least ironrailsironweights will be happy.

Alex said...

When I think of liberal women, Andrea Dworkin mostly comes to mind:

Andrea Dworkin lounging around

Alex said...

Now contrast Andrea Dworkin and Sarah Palin, you will see my point.

Wince said...

Long hair, not working...

"I can feel myself rot."

MayBee said...

When Hillary first came to public attention, she had long hair. Remember when her hair cuts got constant attention, like Michelle's fashions do now?

I'd guess her hair is easier for her to style herself now that it is long. The short style she had required a lot of doing. She used to have hair dressers available to her whenever she went out in public, but as mere SecState she no longer does.

Dana said...

Stripes are not the problem - it's that they are horizontal stripes that fairly scream out, Look how wide I am!

A stylist would know better, Hillary who owns her pear shape, should know better.

See how easily distracted we are by the stunning reminder of width below the new feminine 'do? What a shame, her lovely hair becomes moot.

PaulV said...

Better than the Snuggie she wore to daughter's rehearsal dinner

Saint Croix said...

That's maybe the most flattering photo of Hillary I've ever seen. She looks great.

Saint Croix said...

here she actually looks cute.

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Hillary+Clinton/Obama+Hosts+Diplomatic+Corps+Holiday+Reception/6460-7zNtM3

although she is clashing with the drapes, you're right. And I like that dress a lot better when it's behind a podium.

Saint Croix said...

here she's like a scary relative and you're supposed to hug her but you don't wanna.

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Hillary+Clinton/Secretary+State+Clinton+Signs+South+African/m9NTyr8-AWg

Saint Croix said...

She's haunted in this one.

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Hillary+Clinton/Clinton+Attends+UN+Security+Council+Meeting/5fEnlTS6NhK

Saint Croix said...

yikes

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Hillary+Clinton/Secretary+State+Hillary+Clinton+Addresses/OcM_jol5X0k

Saint Croix said...

Funny how a photo says so much. He is cerebral and pompous. She is irritated.

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Hillary+Clinton/NATO+Summit+Lisbon+2010+Day+1/VUpRv71wVx0

Saint Croix said...

Here she is sharp and confident.

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Hillary+Clinton/Clinton+Holds+Meeting+Afghan+Foreign+Minister/HjkZx0H1KC6

Saint Croix said...

Boy that's a bad dress. That dress is adding 40 pounds at least. That's why they call it a moo-moo.

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Hillary+Clinton/Bill+Clinton/Chelsea+Clinton+Marc+Mezvinsky+Pre+Wedding/FkDIZtoeYxI

RichardS said...

Is Hillary leading or following? When I was in NYC recently, I noticed that style was common among women Mrs. C's age.

mtrobertsattorney said...

The only hope left for Hillary now is for her to embrace the "elderly look"--long flower print dresses with lace collars that stop just just above the ankle.

Golda Meir is the benchmark for this style; it conveys the message of a sensible and trustworthy grandmother.

Trooper York said...

I don't get it.

Hillary can be kinda hot!

Youse guys are too picky.

BJM said...

I think Hillary was fed up with having to constantly have her hair done to avoid the bedraggled short hair photos that really made her look old and unkept.

Her current longer length is easier to blow dry and style herself while traveling too.

BJM said...

@Ham

Don't wear the drapery.

Well, not unless you're Scarlett O'Hara or Carol Burnett.

Anonymous said...

The longer hair softens her face, feminizes her, and makes her look less butch. She can thank Palin for that. Palin made it hip to be a high powered and feminine politician who looks like she's having sex and lots of it. Clinton used to look like 'sex? who me? what's that? couldn't be!'

Ralph L said...

Someone has to tell Obama to get his nose out of the air. Aside from looking snotty, he's getting old-man's-neck.

michaele said...

That was about the best picture that I've seen of Hillary with her longer hair.
Scrolling forward and back through the slide show reveals some positively brutal shots where she looks dismayingly old and wrinkled.
I've been thinking the longer hair makes her neck look short and her face droopy. She's got those chipmunky (now pouchy) cheeks and they are more flattered by a short bouncy cut.

Jeff with one 'f' said...

"If you really want to say that long hair on a woman over the age of 60 says sexy, then show us some examples of women that old who look sexier because of their long hair."

Just google two words: Emmylou Harris.

Anonymous said...

Hillary looks like a professional; Barack looks like the nerd in the schoolyard who is trying really hard to convince everyone he's cool.