Admittedly, I don’t know much about politics. It’s not an area of interest for me, and anyone who knows me knows that if it’s not in one of those very specific areas, I probably don’t care about it at all. Even when I was in school and it was required of me, I struggled to understand terms like ‘cabinet’ and ‘minority government’ and ‘House of Commons.’
But one thing I do understand is sexism.
For the past week, I’ve seen social media posts popping up all over the place with headlines like 16 reasons the world is swooning over Canada’s next prime minister and Americans can’t stop talking about how our new prime minister is a hottie.
I’m not making this up. I can’t even count how many times I saw women on my Facebook page sharing the photo of Trudeau boxing without a shirt on.
While I recognize it’s likely that the rest of the world understands Canadian politics even less than I do, it doesn’t change the fact that objectifying this hard-working politician is completely inappropriate. If this was a woman, would it be acceptable for us to share a shirtless photo of her and comment on her attractiveness? Would we be using #pmilf when posting photos of her on Twitter, reducing her to a sex symbol?
But looks are important, especially for a public figure. Even in industries like hospitality and tourism, employers are starting to request photographs with job applications, because it’s important for their brand to hire someone with the right look. Appearance is a factor, whether we like to admit it or not, and for someone who will be constantly in the public eye, it’s almost a requirement to look your best.
In fact, I recently saw a headline about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton getting a $600 haircut at a prestigious salon in a Bergdorf Goodman department store. As soon as the headlines made their way online (Hillary Clinton receives haircut that costs more than average American makes in a week), social media flooded with people questioning how she could possibly relate to voters. But it’s not like she can stop at Supercuts for a trim – she has an image to maintain. Because it’s politics, and that’s what people care about.
I know people are also talking about Trudeau’s actions and promises and his policy decisions so far, because society’s double standard will allow us to see him for his politics as he moves forward as our new leader. For a man, looks aren’t everything. Men can be attractive and intelligent, not one or the other. Ultimately, Trudeau won’t be defined by his looks – but Clinton might be.
