Is Condi taking fashion tips from Jacko? Based on the photographs coming back from her European tour, it seems as if the Queen of the State Department is taking style advice from the King of Pop. Her all-black ensemble of skirt, high-necked button-up coat and knee-high stiletto boots has a military flair similar to that of Michael Jackson circa the 2002 VMAs. And her outfit is certainly getting a lot of press. In Friday's Washington Post, Robin Givhan, describes it as a look that "speaks of sex and power." The blogosphere has also responded, with opinions ranging from Ann Althouse's assertion on MSNBC that "these boots are made for running for president," to Wonkette's tart comment that "no male politician would get a 618-word review of his outfit in the Washington Post." Regardless of whether you liked the outfit -- I personally want those boots -- or whether you think that the Secretary of State's clothing merits a full article, it is fascinating to see that the fashion mania one usually associates with Hollywood and the Oscars has crossed over into the political realm. For those who think that politics has been already been watered down and trivialized, it is a disheartening development.
Condi is by no means the first Washington woman to have her wardrobe scrutinized by the press. Teresa Heinz-Kerry, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton all had their campaign-trail clothing carefully critiqued. Jackie Kennedy used her outfits to help create the Camelot mystique that made JFK so beloved. Indeed, I'm sure that even Martha Washington had to put up with the late-18th-century equivalent of Stephen Cojocaru commenting on her lace caps in the colonial version of Us Weekly. But all of these women have been consorts of those in power, not officeholders themselves, Clinton's current incarnation as the junior senator from New York excepted. Rice, in addition to being a high-ranking official, is one of the most visible members of Bush's inner circle, and definitely the most visible woman. Furthermore, while there have been equally high-ranking women in the past, Rice is arguably the youngest and the one with the poise and carriage to wear fashionable clothing. She is certainly the most interestingly dressed of Bush's advisors, a rock star among a sea of boring suits and ties.
But do we really want our politicians to face the same scrutiny as our musicians, actors and Paris Hilton? In Hollywood, looking good isn't just essential to your career -- it is your career. And while this primarily involves work on what goes under your designer clothes, the clothes themselves are the focus of entirely too much attention. This is especially apparent around awards seasons, especially with the Oscars. And while movie snobs may argue that the Oscars themselves are a shallow nod to the establishment, any validity in the choices made is further called into question when red-carpet countdowns start three hours before, and no one cares about who won, only what everyone was wearing.
I admit that I am just as guilty of this as the next VH1 addict, and that I definitely spent some of Sunday night procrastinating by watching the red-carpet mafia aim their microphones and their witticisms at hapless stars. But just because I enjoy watching Kathy Griffith give this year's rising starlet a hard time doesn't mean I want my politicians to face the same media gauntlet. Politics have already become so trivialized, with scandal after scandal sounding like something out of a "Saturday Night Live" skit. The last thing we need is for the clothing of our leaders to be as remarked upon as their policy decisions. We don't take actors seriously when they try to dabble in politics -- no one really cared that Alec Baldwin was ready to move to Canada or that Susan Sarandon hated Bush. Similarly, we should not try and hold politicians and government officials to the same standards of fashion as red-carpet regulars. And just because Condoleezza Rice is a younger woman does not mean she should be treated any differently then her male colleagues.
Ultimately, regardless of whether or not Condi has a genuine passion for fashion or if this is just a passing Matrix-inspired phase, Rice will be remembered more for her policy than for the outfits she picked. Still, the reaction to this outfit and the resulting furor is cause for concern that Washington, D.C., is becoming "too Hollywood," and that government is becoming even more superficial. Still, the boring blahs of the suits worn by those around Condi give us some hope that the TV Guide Channel's special "Joan Rivers on Capitol Hill" is still years away. That is, of course, unless the men start dressing like Jacko too. Dick Cheney in white gloves is not something I want to see.
