UPDATED March 26th, 2018
Make no mistake: There’s a before and after Sheryl Sandberg’s book, “Lean In.” Before, female politicians like Christine Quinn, Speaker of the New York City Council and mayoral candidate, would be criticized for losing her temper or being “bossy.” After, the media does a story about its own coverage of Christine Quinn and ponders its own fairness when covering men and women politicians. “Is she being called bossy because she’s a woman?” “Would we have asked the same questions of a man?”
Read Related: Eva Mendes is Launching a Fashion Line for Working Women
Before, it was OK to take a perfectly objective article and insert a comment about a woman’s shoes, make up, hair, etc. After, it is an unacceptable way to put women down and to underhandedly plant a seed of doubt about their abilities and leadership skills.
So no, it’s not OK for The Washington Post to slip in a comment about White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler’s Manolo Blahniks or Christian Louboutins toward the end of an article about her being one of only a few women in President Obama’s inner circle. How would readers react if, in the middle of a piece about Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, they were to learn that he wears Prada shoes or Yves Saint Laurent aftershave? Wouldn’t the professionalism of the journalist be put into question?
Read the full article on Fox News Latino.
